When we all traveled to Santorini, they took a cruise to Alaska for vacation; when we all bought SLRs, they went to play mobile photography; when we all went swimming at the beach, they went diving on the Great Barrier Reef. When we all went climbing mountains, they all went to the South Pole... Travel, which is a way of life, has become a fashion and trend, and we are unknowingly trying to keep up with the pace of other people's travel, forgetting ourselves and what we want.

19 years ago, before Zhongdian was called Shangri-La, I went to Dayan Ancient Town in Lijiang to listen to ancient Naxi music and watch Dongba carve totems with azalea wood. Sitting in front of the inn where the stream flows, basking in the sun, reading in a daze, and enjoying the soft time of Lijiang. That was the slow travel people wanted back then. Eleven years ago, Dayan Ancient City was already a world for tourists. Hiking Muli, Daocheng Yading and Gongga, and after completing the Locke Line, I flew from Kangding to Lijiang. Among a group of well-dressed and fashionable tourists, I was exhausted and carrying a dusty climbing bag. It felt like a wild wolf surrounded by sheep and became an alien.

At that time, I went to Shuhe Ancient Town and stayed for a week. There was a dog named Dongni in the inn who followed me for walks and photos every day. At night, I accompanied me to the Qing Bar to listen to the singer's guitar playing. A little leisurely, a little lonely. I went to climb Haba Snow Mountain six years ago and went to Lijiang for the third time. I used to read, drink tea and be in a daze, bask in the sun, and the deafening discos everywhere have become like a city with rich lights. I don't want to rush from one city to another. The next day, I went to the mountain village at the foot of Haba Snow Mountain, drank tea and basked in the sun in Haba Village, which was far away from the hustle and bustle, and prepared to climb the summit of Haba Snow Mountain. Mountain climbing is tiring and dangerous, but it is a slow journey.

Following others may become increasingly unable to keep up with the pace of travel. I have traveled too many places, and the biggest change is that I no longer follow the crowd, and I no longer bother with my own "non-conformity". Life is short, and there are many hard days to go. Choose a place you like and do what you like. 19 years later, I came to Lijiang for the fourth time. I got off the plane, skipped Dayan Ancient Town in Lijiang, and took a bus directly to the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain. Based on the snowy mountains, we will hike Jiuzihai, tour the Lanyue Valley, explore Yuhu Village, visit Locke's former residence, and enjoy coffee, listen to the tea ceremony, and play snowy mountain barbecue at other times.

I heard that it was the best shooting spot for Yulong Snow Mountain, so I chose Lijiang Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Hotel at an altitude of 3100 meters. I didn't expect it to be one of the nine stars themed hotels in the world. The only hotel in China has its own stars observation station, shared observatory and a Snow Mountain Science and Technology Museum. There are only eight overseas, such as Soneva Kiri in Thailand, Tierra Atacama in Chile, Soneva Jani and Aantara Kihavah Malddivisions Villas in Maldives, Fisher island Hotel,LHW in the United States, Kulmhotel Gornergrat in Switzerland, Grand Hotel Du Cap-Ferrat in France, and Exploration Atacama in Chile.

The Yulong Snow Mountain leaned against the starlight dome and looked at the stars with an astronomical telescope for the first time. It was full of excitement and curiosity. Visually observe Saturn and the moon with a half-meter-aperture super large professional astronomical telescope. Saturn's rings are like fairy dust, and the moon's rings are like Yao Chi. Looking at the stars in a pure world is a great enjoyment. In mankind's endless exploration, there are two supreme areas, one is the universe and the other is the human heart. At the Xueshan Science and Technology Museum, I listened to Teacher Jiang Meng, the founder of the "Star Tradition Tour" Sharing Observatory, sharing knowledge of the starry sky and the universe. Only then did I realize that the Milky Way we are in is just a drop in the ocean compared to the vast universe.

Go to see young people playing planet light painting, girls take off their coats and show off their graceful figures, everyone takes on various movements, and fashion trendsetters leave the most beautiful pictures in front of different planets. I couldn't help but go to the "planet" and have a look at it before I realized the principle of light painting photography. The rotating fluorescent devices of various colors drew the "planet" behind us. Everyone went to rest in the middle of the night, but I was still reluctant to part with it. I photographed the night scene near the hotel, as if this wonderful night would not end as long as I didn't sleep...

I got up at 6 o'clock the next morning and went to the yoga studio at 6:30. This is the best photo spot to take the main peak of the Yulong Snow Mountain. I set up a tripod and waited for the golden mountain of sunshine. While waiting, I remembered hiking the Rock Line across the Gongga no man's land to take pictures of the stars and witnessing a hiking friend unfortunately killed in front of our camp. I lamented the convenience brought by the changes of time. I used to go through all the hardships I had to carry hiking bags and equipment into no man's land to capture the golden mountains of sunshine and the starry sky of the shining moon. Now I can have a good sleep, put on my slippers, hold coffee and wait for the golden color. Photography has also become a relaxing and happy thing. What a happy thing it is.

The sun rises slowly, and the daylight line gradually pushes up to the edge of the snowy mountains like a tide. 7:14 The peak of the main peak is red. Barry Zhang, who often shoots here, tells us a trick. Lie on the ground, with the camera or mobile phone close to the water surface of the pool, you can capture the reflection in the water of Rizhao Jinshan, which is more pure and sacred. Looking at the ground in front of the yoga studio, photography enthusiasts lay on the ground, spread yoga mats on the ground, and comfortably lay down and take crazy photos. Although we are located at an altitude of 3100 meters, the Yulong Snow Mountain is the mountain closest to the equator and the snowy mountain with the lowest latitude, with almost no altitude.

The beauty of Jinshan in Rizhao is fleeting, and the sky is blue. During the few days I lived in Jinmaopu, I got up at 6 o'clock every day and stood in front of the yoga studio with my camera in my arms. With the different halo and climate in the sky, I had a different mood every time I watched it. Of course, there are also friends who do not pursue extreme photography. They prefer to lie comfortably in bed, open the curtains, or wear pajamas and slippers to eat breakfast on the balcony, and then watch Rizhao Yulong Snow Mountain. In the face of magnificent scenery, being able to maintain a calm state of mind is the most luxurious enjoyment.

We spent the morning going to Blue Moon Valley. As soon as the car approached the destination, what came into view was blue. When I came here many years ago, this place was still called Baishui River. It was gloomy and the sky was gloomy and its charm could not be seen. Now the Baishui River has built three dams to form waterfalls. The Baishui River has become four small lakes, Yuye Lake, Jingtan Lake, Lanyue Lake and Tingtao Lake. The entire Lanyue Valley surface takes the shape of a moon. The melted snow water carries a large amount of minerals and precipitates in the lake, but there is white sand underneath. On sunny days, it looks like a blue moon, blue as a dream.

Blue Moon Valley is a wedding resort, where countless newlyweds take wedding photos. The wedding dress flying in the wind is like the smoke of a fairyland, which can spread happiness to the world, and people who play can feel the joy. When the photographer takes pictures, he asks for a favor, and the tourists will kindly make up an open space and take wedding photos. The newlyweds are also very happy, with joy and blessings. Professional wedding photographers know how to get newlyweds to pose in the most beautiful pose. We take a photo next to each other, and it all has an artistic conception.

British writer James Hilton wrote "The Lost Horizon" based on Locke's article. The novel describes that there is a Blue Moon Valley in the secret realm of Shangri-La in China, so the name of Blue Moon Valley comes from this. The lowest end of the Lanyue Valley is the next stop of the Yunshanping Cable Car Station on the Yulong Snow Mountain. You can take the cable car directly to Yunshanping, a grassland on the mountainside of the Yulong Snow Mountain. More than ten years ago, you took the cable car up 3240 meters away. Yunshanping, walking in it is like a fairyland.

During this trip to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, we discovered a secret place-Jiuzihai. We have never been to Lijiang many times, but we have never been to it. The car moves along the winding mountain road, as if it has entered a no man's land. After crossing the mountain, it becomes suddenly clear. There are nine seas in a grassland, so they are called Jiuzihai. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the whistling wind makes the fields full of the atmosphere of nature. In the distance, I saw a herdsman driving a flock of sheep passing by, and in close proximity, I saw tiny green tree frogs jumping in the grass. Hiking on the grass, I found the feeling of being in Scotland, which is said to have been the off-road route of the BMW X5 team.

There is another place to visit in Yulong Snow Mountain, which is an ancient village at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain-Yuhu Village ("Wuluken" in Naxi). Because the village has a high altitude and is closest to Yulong Snow Mountain, it is called the first village in Yulong Snow Mountain. American explorer Locke once lived here, and his former residence is in the village. It is very touching for those of us who have followed Locke's route. Walking along the stone path up the mountain, as the altitude rises, some friends will feel a little laborious. There are mules and horses in the village that specially send tourists to the highest point of the village.

Joseph Locke is an Austrian-American botanist and explorer. He came to China in 1992 as a contributor and photographer for National Geographic Magazine. He used Lijiang as his base camp and visited Shangri-La, Gongga, Daocheng Aden, and Gannan during inspections. He visited China six times, and he published many articles in National Geographic Magazine. The novel "The Lost Horizon" was inspired by Locke's article. At that time, foreign countries believed that the "Shangri-La" in the novel was a paradise in China.

Locke taught himself Chinese, studied Naxi culture deeply, and got along well with the Naxi people. He lived in Yuhu Village most of his time and collected more than 8,000 Dongba scriptures. In 1949, he had to leave Yunnan. Today, Locke's inspection routes have become China's classic outdoor hiking route "Locke Line". I walked most of the Luo Ke Line. I remember when I arrived at Cuopu Temple in Cuopu Valley, Cuopu Valley National Forest Park, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, the lama said that the National Geographic Magazine brought by Luo Ke was kept in the temple. It was discovered by the scientific expedition team that entered the mountains long after liberation that I learned that foreign countries have the reputation of Shangri-La for China.

In Yuhu Village, we had a Yunnan delicacy-Funzi Hotpot. Walking to a farmhouse called "Chuiyan", a stone house with a yard full of succulent plants and flowers, it looks very stylish. Fungus hot pot is the bottom of black-chicken soup. It contains wild fungi such as matsutake and chicken fir fungus, Yunnan wild vegetables such as dandelions, and local landscape tofu and potatoes. I also ate two plates of Lijiang cake, which suits my taste so much.

Yunnan has been here many times and can eat everything, including tree bark, but for the first time, I ate "aquatic poplar flower"-known as Boyehai cauliflower, a kind of stems and leaves grow under the water, and small white flowers float on the water. Plant on the water. Go to the Xuejingge Restaurant of Jinmao Puxiu Hotel, sit at the dining table in front of the glass window, lean against the window and look out at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and feel like everyone is intoxicated without alcohol.

When I heard that I only had a bowl of cross-bridge rice noodles for lunch, I wondered if I could eat enough? When the Naxi little sister served the rice noodles across the bridge, there was a bowl as big as a small basin with oily hot broth floating on it. One plate contained wild chrysanthemums, matsutake, gastrodia elata, crispy meat, tomatoes, pea tips, baby vegetables, bean sprouts, chicken breast meat and a plate of raw quail eggs, as well as a plate of dried yak meat, coriander and seasoning salt. The little sister poured it into the soup one by one, but as a result, I only ate half of such a large portion.

I originally just came to see the stars, but I didn't expect that the hotel's afternoon tea would also have a starry sky theme. The "Star Sky" chocolates and cakes are very exquisite and can be regarded as works of art when placed on a classical frame. The chef's high-quality masterpiece is not only visually beautiful, but also eats an "asteroid" after taking pictures. It turns out that the "stars" are so sweet and delicious, and the girls can't sit still and keep taking pictures.

Snow Mountain Barbecue is also a unique one. The chefs set up an oven on the outer platform of Xuejing Pavilion, roasting lamb legs, mutton chops and yak meat. Everyone ate barbecues facing the Yulong Snow Mountain and drank butterfly bean curd juice, champagne and dry red wine. Young men and women of the Naxi ethnic group "danced" around the brazier. The magical rhythm, simple and elegant dance movements, and the singing of wine give a glimpse of the geometry of life. In Sifang Street in Dayan Ancient Town in Lijiang, I once danced with local people many times, so I also held their hands and danced together. When I returned to my room at night, I still couldn't help but hum Naxi dance music.

In the past, when traveling, I liked to stay in the natural wilderness and just wanted to empty myself and was unwilling to use my brain. Maybe I have walked a lot now, or maybe I am older, but I like to drink coffee with experienced and knowledgeable people all over the world, and talk about the tea ceremony and the past and the present. In my spare time in Xueshan Hotel, I listened to Teacher Sun Yachao, a national tea artist, talk about tea culture and tea ceremony, tasted all kinds of tea collected by Teacher Sun, and talked about tea identification, and I was deeply impressed. I used to think that tea ceremony was a complicated ceremony. Teacher Sun said that it was a way to slow down life.

During afternoon tea one day, I met Wang Yi, an award-winning photographer at the Outdoor Film Festival. He was grinding coffee in his hands. Because he liked coffee, he invested in viaTOUR Coffee. Drinking mellow coffee and chatting about travel, I saw viaTOUR Coffee writing,"On the way, find an attitude towards life; let the soul walk on the path of enjoyment; use your eyes to stop in the breath of clarity and stillness, and, the way, slow here, dream here, and lose in happiness." It seems as if I saw a summary of my years of travel and wandering.

On the last morning of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, I couldn't help but run to the yoga studio to wait for the light and shadow of the snowy mountain. The mountain was filled with clouds and mist, but there was no photo of Rizhao Jinshan, but the white fog was like a jade dragon, winding halfway up the mountain and holding its head towards the main peak of the snowy mountain; the cornices of Chinese buildings at the foot of the mountain were appropriately dotted, making a good picture. At this moment, it seems that I have found a moment of enlightenment in life. No matter whether it is sunny, rainy, landscape, wind and fog, or ups and downs of life, one can find joy in it while living. This is the happiest way to live.

In the past, I always wanted to wait until I had money and had time to travel and see the world again. But when you are successful, maybe love passes by you; when you are rich, maybe you have lost your passion of the past; when you have time, maybe your friends have left you; when you have it all, maybe you have lost your pace... If you don't come to Lijiang, we will be old.