In Tibetan culture
legend has it that in another time and space
there is a kingdom called Shambhala
It is a quiet and peaceful kingdom
because everybody there knows the source of happiness
Shambhala also has a lot of connections with the outside world
It is said that there is a passage called the Earth’s Navel
My name is Baima Dorji
the founder of Songtsam Culture and Tourism Resort Group
I worked for China Central Television (CCTV) in my early years
and I made documentaries for twenty years
I joined CCTV
to introduce the Tibetan ethnic minority and Tibetan culture
and I created Songtsam out of the same motive
I think travelling
is the best and most direct way of sharing and experiencing Tibetan culture
We promote tours together with our hotels as a platform
and have a number of boutique lodges located in mountain villages
I wish to connect the dots
with a line
and turn it into an Earth’s Navel leading to Shambhala
or a passage to Shambhala
My home is at the foot of Songzanlin Temple
I think the temple itself is a destination
and the nearby Kena Village
used to be a busy town
with time-honored culture
So I was thinking of maybe renovating the house on my family’s land
into a hotel
With that in mind
I opened my first lodge
It took me about two years
and I actually saw the possibility
So in 2004 I resolutely resigned from CCTV
and put my heart and soul into Songtsam
Actually I got the idea of opening boutique hotels in mountainous areas
Actually I’ve got the idea of opening boutique hotels in mountainous area
and running boutique tours during that time
Tacheng, Cizhong, Meili and Benzilan
were all locations determined in 2004
From our first lodge Songtsam Lvgu Shangri-La
to the 16th lodge which is now being constructed
the buildings combine various architectural features
in the regions outside of Shangri-La
We try to link all of our facilities with traditional culture
to create a true authentic feel
and atmosphere
In fact what I find important
is to find the most appropriate items
to be used in Songtsam
including artwork
I began to collect Tibetan-style furniture since 1998 or 1997
I really wish to keep some things as I really wanted to keep and preserve certain items
Before that I had already collected
a lot of Tibetan carpets and silks from the Ming and Qing dynasties
As for Thangkas
I’ve been decorating the Lvgu lodge with Thangkas since the 1980s and 1990s
with New Thangkas displayed around the year 2000
They are all painted by well-known artists
Copper and traditional Tibetan life are inseparable
I’ve been using copper since 2006
and hired three copper craftsmen
to make a variety of copperware for Songtsam
Now there are so many Buddha statues
which I gradually collected over time
They used to scatter on the market
The Buddha statues from Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, which are dominated by Southern Buddhism
are especially exquisite
Only such exquisite statues
can offer a quiet and peaceful atmosphere for the space
I believe travelling with Songtsam is different from travelling with others
All of our lodges
are located in remote villages that are difficult to reach
but at the same time are beautiful destinations
They boast wonderful resources
We believe we offer a gateway to hidden destinations
because all the places where our lodges are located
are unreachable
without the existence of Songstam
and our lodges display the most representative landscape and culture of the region
Many of our guests can also experience a variety of Tibetan cultural concepts during their journey
During my eleven years at CCTV
I spent most of my time making documentaries about Tibet
I know where the most beautiful places are
even with my eyes closed
I shot scenes and set up camera at these places
time and time again
I know the most beautiful place at each location
Tacheng has thrived over the years
Our Tacheng lodge is in a forest
next to the village
It faces a whole paddy field
and there is also the national park where you can find Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys
Cizhong is a small village near the Lantsang River
At that time
Cizhong owned the only paddy field in Deqin county
The village is right in the center of the paddy field
and in the middle of the village there is a church
which was built in 1898
There is a special kind of ritual at Songtsam Meili Lodge
If the snow mountain can be seen in the morning
our staff would call every guest
and invite them to see the rising sun shining over the mountain
We usually recommend our guests staying at Songtsam Meili Lodge to visit Mingyong Glacier
It is located at the lowest latitude and elevation of any glacier in China
One of the most popular destinations of our guests at Meili Lodge is Baima Snow Mountain
which is also our most recommended destination
It is a national nature reserve
We take our guests to a local villager’s home to make Tibetan prayer flags
to print the patterns on
and then take them to the other side of Meili Snow Mountain
to hang the flags up
Tibetan people believe
that the prayers on the flags contain great positive energy
As wind passes the flags
the positive energy will be spread to every corner of the world
Benzilan is a very small place
It is a sandbank along the Jinsha River
However, as tiny as it may seem
it has a rich culture
In the past all the high-end lacquerware
were produced in Benzilan
Now the area preserves the traditional craft
so we include it into our tour products
Along the valley where our Benzilan lodge is located
there is a primeval forest at the end
A beautiful primeval forest
Where can you feel Shangri-La?
In the places where Songtsam’s lodges are located
When everything is combined together
you will have more comprehensive knowledge of Shangri-La
When it comes to the meaning of travelling
the best journey is to drift to many different places and see the world
When travelling
I wish people who join Songtsam
can be inspired by the culture
of the region and the ethnic group
And the biggest inspiration
I think
Is how local people pursue and understand happiness
So I make it the vision of Songtsam
to pursuit the source of happiness
I also want to see more guests
find the key that opens the gateway
to a steady source of happiness