PBS - In Search of Myths and Heroes Collection (2005) Part 3 Shangri-La

Historian and author Michael Wood brings his unique mix of history, travel and adventure back to PBS in his series, “In Search of Myths & Heroes.” In this series, Wood embarks on a set of “on the ground” adventures in search of the world's most famous myths The Biblical story of Queen of Sheba, Celtic tale of King Arthur and Indian Shangri-La myth. “In Search of Myths & Heroes” sets Wood off in pursuit of these enduring myths and their roots in historical fact. Wood retraces the steps of these stories and their mythic heroes, crossing the deserts of Yemen and trekking the Himalayas. As with Wood's past PBS series – including “Conquistadors” and “In The Footsteps of Alexander the Great” – the voyage of exploration and the battle to get to the story's source is half the fun and half the excitement. Beyond the travel, history and adventure, these journeys have a deeper purpose to uncover the truth about some of history's greatest stories; stories with enduring appeal, romantic legends that are told and re-told around the world. In Wood's unique style, this is also a series about how myths take on a life and meaning of their own, inspiring, influencing (and sometimes even changing) people and cultures centuries later and geographically distant from their origins. These gripping adventures take the viewer to some of the most extraordinary places on earth, exploring stories that have captivated the world for thousands of years. Each journey opens up universal themes as Michael goes in search not only of the historical past and literal truth, but also of the mythic past and archetypal stories that reflect and have sustained human existence since the beginning of time.

Part 3 Shangri-La

The darker the age, the more desperate we are for illumination. This is certainly true of the tale of Shangri-La, which differs from other myths in that it's a largely modern story. In 1933, British novelist James Hilton published Lost Horizon, which became an instant hit with the public. It follows the fortunes of a group of Western travellers whose aeroplane crashes in the remote, unexplored part of the Himalayas that we now know as Tibet. The group find themselves in an earthly paradise, where materialism, modern cynicism - and the threat of war - are unknown. But, the story of a lost kingdom behind the Himalayas free from war and suffering is descended from a much older Indian myth. When Europeans first caught wind of the tale back in the 16th Century, they set about trying to discover it. Wood's search for Shangri-La takes him on a thrilling trek through India, Nepal and Tibet. To find the truth behind the legend, Michael follows their track on foot through the Maoist controlled lands of Western Nepal and then on into Tibet. On the way he visits Mount Kailash — the sacred center of the world for all Hindus and Buddhists. Eventually, after hundreds of miles on dirt roads, he reaches the fantastic ruins of the lost city of Tsaparang, which he suggests is the real inspiration behind the myth. “One of the oldest myths of humanity, the paradise myth continues to haunt us today, especially in our time of rapid globalization,” Wood concludes. “Whether such a paradise actually existed or not, it represents one of our most basic human desires.”

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