Shangri-La Zaya Chieftain Feast

Shangri-La Zaya Tusi Banquet: An Immersive Tibetan Cultural Feast and a Gastronomic Adventure on the Plateau The Shangri-La Zaya Tusi Banquet is one of the most representative traditional Tibetan banquet cultural experiences in the Diqing Tibetan region. Using a century-old Tusi manor as its setting, it integrates Tibetan food, song and dance, and folk customs, allowing guests to experience the warmth of Tibetan history in a lively atmosphere.

The Tibetan cultural exhibition room in the manor is like a miniature museum, displaying more than a hundred cultural relics from the Tusi era, such as bows and arrows, saddles, silver wine pots, and snuff bottles. Each item tells the story of the Khampa Tibetans' boldness and delicacy, as if taking guests back to the era of caravans and prosperous song and dance.

Tibetan actors wearing gorgeous Pulu Tibetan robes and coral agate jewelry take the stage, opening a stunning cultural show. Song and Dance Feast: When men dance the “Guozhuang Dance,” they swing their long sleeves like eagles spreading their wings; when women sing “Shangri-La String Music,” their voices are ethereal, like clear springs from the snow-capped mountains. The skit “Tusi Wedding,” interspersed between the dances, humorously recreates Tibetan wedding customs, drawing rounds of applause. Interactive Experience: Guests will be invited to the stage to learn the “String Music Dance” or shout “Tashi Delek” in Tibetan. The actors will also teach on-site how to wear Tibetan belts and present Hada scarves.

Bonfire Carnival: When night falls, a raging bonfire is lit in the manor courtyard. Everyone holds hands and forms a circle, dancing to the rhythm of “Beat the Wall Song.” The firelight reflects smiling faces, pushing the atmosphere to a climax. The Tusi banquet is centered around a “one-person, one-pot” self-service hot pot, featuring plateau ingredients such as yak meat and Tibetan fragrant pig: Yak Meat Hot Pot: Carefully selected yak meat from altitudes above 3,000 meters, the meat is firm and chewy. The soup base is slowly simmered with beef bones, served with buttered tsampa, which is warming and filling; Dried Roasted Yak Meat: Salty, savory, and slightly spicy, it is a traditional snack for Tibetan herders; Tibetan Fragrant Pig Platter: Taken from free-range Tibetan fragrant pigs raised in the mountains, the meat has alternating layers of fat and lean. After roasting, the skin is crispy, and the fragrant oil carries the aroma of wild mushrooms; Highland Barley Series: Highland barley pancakes and highland barley wine are must-tries. The former is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; the latter has a low alcohol content, is sweet and slightly intoxicating, and is the highest etiquette for Tibetans to treat guests.

As dusk dyes the manor, the courtyard bonfire roars to life, casting everyone's shadows onto the highland barley stacks. The drumbeats of "Beat the Wall Song" spread with the aroma of wine. Regardless of age, everyone joins hands and enters the dance circle next to the flames. On the smiling faces illuminated by the firelight, some stomp their feet and raise dust to the rhythm, while others learn from the Tibetans to sprinkle highland barley for blessings. Between the fluttering sleeves, the warm aroma of butter tea and the charred aroma of roasted meat weave together to create the most vivid Tibetan memories.