Located in the plateau, Shangri-La is rarely affected by man-made contamination and rich in natural resources. It’s wealthy in wild medical herbs as aweto, white snow tea, red snow tea, fritillary, gastrodiae, angelica, saussurea, saffron and musk. Amongst all the residents in Shangri-La, the Tibetans account quite a lot. Thus, the Tibetan medicine there is also very famous. Such medicines which are made from rare herbs include the 70 flavor glutinous pearl pills, the 25 flavor glutinous pearl pills and the rin-chen-grang-sbyor pills which are all effective in treatment.
The various Tibetan handcrafts are also a specialty in Shangri-La. Such handicrafts as pearls, silver knives, wooden bowls, wooden boxes, silver shrines and Tibetan incenses are mainly characterized by local ethnic style. In addition, the local food should be experienced by all visitors. Cheese, yak meet, matsutake and barley wine are all good choices.
Tips:
It is advised to ask for a receipt when buying Tibetan knives. The purchase item on the list of the receipt should be “handcraft” so as to be free from potential issues with law enforcement. Tibetan knives are strictly forbidden on airplanes, but can be carried on trains and buses. The best way is to send it back home is through the post office.
In Shangri-La, you have to be very careful when buying Tibetan ornaments and jewelries as some are inferior in quality. You don’t have to be too careful if you just want to buy some for fun. However, always remember to bargain.
