The mountains of Southwest China, known in legend as Shangri-La, have captivated the world's imagination for a century. In this visually stunning and scientifically rigorous work, ecologist and photographer Robert K. Moseley offers a unique window into the profound transformations of this iconic landscape.

Using the powerful method of repeat photography, Moseley painstakingly returns to the precise vantage points captured by Western explorers like Joseph Rock between 1901 and 1949. Placing 265 sets of historical and contemporary images side-by-side, the book reveals a century of change not as an abstract concept, but as a visceral, visible truth. The findings challenge simple narratives: forests under local stewardship have often expanded, while the silent retreat of glaciers and the slow creep of treelines bear witness to a warming climate. Villages grow, roads appear, yet ancient trails endure.

Revisiting Shangri-La is more than a photography collection. It is a vital historical baseline for conservation, a testament to the role of traditional ecological knowledge, and a poignant exploration of the delicate balance between cultural preservation and environmental change in one of the world's most breathtaking regions.

Fully illustrated with color and b/w photos, text in English.

2017, Beijing, China Intercontinental Press, paperback, 255 pp., as new.