Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila

The document examines how local cadres in Diqing prefecture used three distinct 'genres' of truth—scientific, literary, and visionary—to justify renaming Zhongdian county to Shangrila. While official state applications relied on scientific and literary evidence to locate the fictional paradise of James Hilton's novel in the material world, local legitimacy was sought by associating the name with the spiritual realm of Shambhala. The author argues that these multiple truths coexist by operating in different ontological realities: the 'actual' material world and the 'virtual' spiritual world.

• The renaming of Zhongdian county to Xianggelila (Shangrila) in December 2001 was the result of a competitive lobbying effort by Diqing prefecture cadres to monopolize the commercial and tourism benefits associated with the name.
• To convince the Chinese state, an 'expert group' used a scientific logic to prove Diqing was the 'true' location of the fictional Shangri-La from James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon, documenting topographical similarities such as the presence of three rivers and the Khawa Karpo mountain.
• The official justification for the name change included a linguistic claim that the Tibetan term 'semkyinyinda' (meaning 'sun and moon of the heart/mind') was pronounced 'shangelila' in the local dialect.
• While official reports adhered to atheist Communist standards to avoid charges of 'superstition', local cadres and Tibetan elites sought legitimacy among the population by linking Shangrila to the spiritual land of Shambhala.
• The author identifies three 'genres' of truth used in the process: the scientific genre (based on verifiable evidence), the fictional genre (based on literary plausibility), and the visionary genre (based on the spiritual authority and reputation of reincarnate lamas).
• The 'cosmopolitics' of Shangrila allows for the coexistence of these disparate truths by separating them into two different realities: the 'actual' material world (where science applies) and the 'virtual' spiritual world (where visionary truth applies).

APA

Peace Research Institute Oslo (n.d.). Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/683b173c-5360-4c21-a7fd-dae47830a71d/Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Peace Research Institute Oslo. Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila. n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/683b173c-5360-4c21-a7fd-dae47830a71d/Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Peace Research Institute Oslo |title=Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/683b173c-5360-4c21-a7fd-dae47830a71d/Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{peaceresearchinstituteoslondtruth, author = {{Peace Research Institute Oslo}}, title = {{Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/683b173c-5360-4c21-a7fd-dae47830a71d/Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }