Lost And Regained Shangri-La

"Shangri-La"’is a word, initially used in The Tale of the Peach Blossom Spring written by Tao Yuanming in Jin Dynasty. In The Tale of the Peach Blossom Spring, the writer has described an ideal world where there is no hierarchy, and people enjoy equal rights and share a peaceful life. For westerners, they first know about the word "Shangri-La" from James Hilton’s Lost Horizon, in which the author has portrayed a world with freedom and equality. James Hilton has created an earthly paradise of "Shangri-La" where people can enjoy themselves so much that they forget the elapse of time. Thus China’s "Shangri-La" appears in the world for the first time, causing a "Shangri-La" heat, and making China’s image widely known throughout the world.The story started with dialogues among four people. Planes arrived by arrangement from Basul to evacuate the white residents, but unfortunately, one plane was missing. The authorities did not report the accident in detail. The four passengers thereafter disappeared from the world. They were Miss Roberta Brinklow, a member of the Eastern Mission; Henry D. Barnard, an American; Hugh Conway, H.M. Consul; and Captain Charles Mallinson, H.M. Vice Consul. Based on close-reading and text-analysis, this thesis tries to elaborate the quest theme and analyze the hero’s journey which is filled with ups and downs. In addition, the formation of Shangri-La Complex plays an essential role in finding his spiritual home and self-identity."Quest" has always been a traditional theme in western literature, and it is also a favorite theme for western writers. Quest in the modern literature, is often expressed as a hero going through hardships to find himself and his return to the ideal life of personal fulfillment. The seeker not only struggles against the complicated social environment in the outside world, but also against his inner world.The thesis is divided into four chapters:Chapter One briefly introduces the author and the novel, including his education and family background as well as his literary career, and tells the prototype of the hero in Lost Horizon. This thesis also mentions relevant studies on this novel at home and abroad.Chapter Two is entitled "Lost Shangri-la Within Shangri-la". By sheer chance, a plane with four passengers from different places flies to the mysterious Shangri-La. In Shangri-La, the four people have experienced subtle changes, physically and psychologically, especially the protagonist. This chapter focuses on the analysis of the hero’s inner conflict when he is staying in Shangri-La.Chapter Three is titled "Regained Shangri-la Outside Shangri-la". When the hero leaves Shangri-La, he faces a predicament:the loss of his spiritual home and the loss of his self-identity."Shangri-La Complex" comes into being in the hero’s mind, because of which he begins to feel regretful for what he has lost, for he hasn’t cherished what he ever has. The open ending makes suspense in the novel and arouses readers’infinite imagination. At the end of the novel, Shangri-La seems to have disappeared, which has multiple connotations.Chapter Four comments on the birth of Shangri-La, which represents a better world or a Utopia isolated from the outside world. The concluding part stresses that the legend of Shangri-La has influenced numerous people and many are already on their way of seeking for Shangri-La. Spiritual fulfillment makes a successful self.