He may have been inspired to write Lost Horizon and to invent Shangri-La '' by reading the National Geographic Magazine by Joseph Rock . Rock was an Austrian-American botanist and ethnologist who explored southwestern China and areas near Tibet . Hilton is said to have been inspired to write Lost Horizon , and to invent `` Shangri-La '' by reading the National Geographic Magazine articles of Joseph Rock , an Austrian-American botanist and ethnologist exploring the southwestern Chinese provinces and Tibetan borderlands .