BaimaDorjibuilthishomeintooneofthebestboutiquetravellodgesinChina.MORNINGinShangri-Lafeaturesbrightsunshineandabluesky.SongtsamShangri-La(Lügu)LodgesitsjustbetweentheGandenSumtselingMonasteryandasmallvillagecalledKainag.Intheyardisafour-storeyTibetan-stylebuildingwhereBaimaDorjiwasbornandgrewup.Today,hehasbuilthishomeintooneofthebestboutiquetravellodgesinChina.
Thehotel,openedin2001,isthefirstSongtsamlodgeBaimasetup.Thehotelchainhassixlodges,allinDiqingTibetanAutonomousPrefectureofYunnan,andin2017newhotelswillbelaunchedinLijiangandLhasa.
Baimadisplaysmuchhand-madeTibetanfurniture,aswellashandicraftsanddecorationsinhishotels.Hesaidthatatfirst,hejustwantedtomakethehotelsamediumtointroduceTibetanculturetotheoutsideworld.“Astheoperationcontinued,IrealizedthatIwantedtomakemyhotelsaspiritualhavenratherthanjustanexhibitioncenter,”saidBaima.Heunderstoodwhaturbanresidentslongedfor,andwantedtocreateaplaceforthemtoenjoyfreshair.“Peoplecomeheretoescapefrompressureandfiercecompetitionintheirbusycitylives.”
IntroducingTibetanCulture
Baimaisinfactanewcomertothehotelindustry.HestudiedveterinarymedicineatavocationalschoolinKunming,capitalcityofYunnan,andworkedasaveterinarianinhishometownfortwoyears.AtthattimealocalTVstationhadjustbeenestablished.Baimabecameinterestedinthesector,sostartedtolearnTVprogramproduction.HegotaninternshipattheYunnanTVStation,thatgavehimtheopportunitytostudyattheBeijingFilmAcademy.
AfterleavingtheTibetan-inhabitedareas,Baimafoundthatmanypeopledidn’tunderstand,orevenmisunderstoodTibetanculture.“ManyofmyfriendsthoughttheTibetan-inhabitedareaswerefullofsnowmountainswitheaglesflyingaboveandthattheTibetanpeoplewereboorish,butthatisnottrue,”saidBaima.“ManyTibetansarealsointrovertedandreserved.”
HesuddenlygottheinspirationtomakeTVprogramstofacilitatemutualunderstandingbetweenTibetansandpeopleofotherethnicgroups.In1992,BaimaworkedatChinaCentralTelevision(CCTV),wherehemadedocumentariesonTibetanculturethatwereverypopular.AmongthemtheDashandeXiaoxiang(literallymeaning“theimageofthemountain”),madein1998,wasselectedfortheCannesFilmFestival.IttoldofatraditionalvillageinamountainousareaofYunnanProvince.SongtsamCizhongLodgebesidetheLancangRiverisadjacenttothefamousCizhongCatholicChurch.YuXiangjunWhenworkingatCCTV,Baimakeptstudyingandbecamecleareraboutwhathewantedtodo.HeplannedtosetupaplatformtobetterintroducetheTibetanculture,andsoenhancemutualunderstandingamongdifferentethnicgroups.
Atthattime,Baima’scolleaguesoftencomplainedaboutthepooraccommodationatDiqingTibetanAutonomousPrefecturewhereBaima’shometownislocated.BaimaimmediatelythoughtofthemanyboutiquetravellodgesinParis,havingstayedinoneneartheArcdeTriomphe.Hestartedthinkingabouttransforminghishome,whichconsistsoftwoyardsandoccupiesanareaofover1,000squaremeters,intosuchahotel.
In2001,BaimarebuilthishousesintotheSongtsamShangri-La(Lügu)Lodge,whichhad22rooms.Thesameyear,ZhongdianCountyinDiqingwasofficiallyrenamedShangri-La.
BreathtakingView
Theoperationdidn’tgowellatfirst,duetocashflowproblems.BaimainvitedprofessionalsfromGermanyandAustriatohelp,buttonoavail.
In2003,Baimadecidedtorunthehotelhimself.Hestayedthereandsharedwithhisworkershisideasaboutaculturalexperience.BaimaalsohiredlocalswhowereabletointroduceTibetanreligion,cultureandhistorytoguests.“Iwantmygueststoexperiencelocalcultureandenjoylivingclosertonature,”saidBaima.
Theincreasingfameofthehotelattractedmanyinvestors,butBaimaturnedthemdown:“IknewIwasnotreadytointroducecapitalatthattime.”Diqingiswherethethreerivers–JinshaRiver,LancangRiver,andNujiangRiver–runparallelandcreatebreathtakingscenery.BaimabelievesthetouristresourcesinDiqingarerareandprecious.“Ididn’topenthelodgetomakemoney.UnlessIhaveasuitableplantodevelopit,I’dbetternot.Bettertoleaveittooffspring.”
Baimaspentalmostadecadeonresearchandexperiments,butneverpursuedaggressiveexpansionorheavypublicity.In2006,Baimametapartnerwhosharedsimilarthoughtsandtheymadetheirplan.In2009,theSongtsamLinkaRetreat,awatchtower-stylebuildingwhichsitsonthemountainslopeoppositetheGandenSumtselingMonastery,opened.Since2011,thefourSongtsamhotelsinthehinterlandofDiqingopenedoneafteranother.
Inhandpickedlocations,alllodgesenjoybeautifulnaturalsettings.Combiningstaysatdifferentlodges,onecanformacircuitoustripwithSongtsamLinkaasitscenter.“Wehopethatourhotelsarelikethecourierstationsinoldentimeswherevisitorscanstayforarestandenjoydifferentviewsateachlodge.”
DepartingfromtheShangri-LaLodge,ittakesaboutonehour’sdrivetoBenzilanLodge,whichliesalongastretchoftheJinshaRiver.BenzilanLodgewasestablishedinasmallvillagehiddeninthevalley,andhousesonly10-oddfamilies.Asandstoneroadconnectsitwiththeoutsideworld,butinhistoryitwasastopalongtheTea-HorseTrail.Thewindowsofthelodgeroomsfacegorgeousviewsofamountainpassandunderthewindowsiscroplandbelongingtolocalhouseholds.
LeavingtheBenzilanLodgeandclimbingtheBaimaMountains,visitorssoonreachDeqenCountybesidetheLancangRiver.TheretheycanappreciatetheimposingviewsofMinlingMountain.TheSongtsamMeiliLodgeenjoysasuperiorlocationasallitswindowsdirectlyfacethismagnificentsnowmountainwhichissometimescoveredbycloudandmist.
FurthersouthalongtheLancangRiverValleyistheCizhongCatholicChurch,builtbyFrenchmissionariesintheearly1900s.TheSongtsamCizhongLodgeisonly200-oddmetersfromthechurch.Throughthewindowcanbeseenseveralvineyardshiddeninthemist.AstheCatholicmissionariesintroducedgrapecultivationandwinemakingtothisvillage,almosteveryhouseholdheregrowsgrapesonthislandatanelevationofover3,000metersthatproducedelectablewine.
IttakesaboutfourhourstodrivefromCizhongtoTachengTown,wherethereisafamousscenicspot–Bodhidharma’sCave.TheSongtsamTachengLodgeisensconcedamongthevillages,terracedfields,mountainsandrivershere.
SongtsamTachengLodgeisbesideflourishingvineyardsandfacesgreencroplands.YuXiangjun
SongtsamMeiliLodge,hiddeninasmallTibetanvillage,allofwhosewindowsofferimposingviewsofMinlingMountain.EnjoyInnerPeace
GuestsattheSongtsamhotelsarealwaysamazedatthewiderangeofTibetan-styleornamentationsandfurnituredisplayedinthelobby,restaurantsandguestrooms.
Infact,manyofthemareprivatecollectionsbelongingtoBaimaDorji.Whenaskedwhyheputsthesepreciousitemsinthepublicareawheretheycouldeasilybedamaged,Baimaexplained:“Thoseitemswillfeel‘depressed’iftheycan’tbeappreciatedbypeopleovertime.”Tohismind,thevalueofhiscollectionistosharethemwithpeople.
Tobestpreservetheoriginallooksofthevillagesandnaturalenvironment,Baimainsistedonthemosttraditionaltypeofconstruction.Hehiredlocalcarpenters,stonemasonsandcoppersmiths.WhenbuildingtheSongtsamLinkaRetreat,Baimafoundaverygoodcoppersmith.Hehadconsideredchanginghisprofessiontoreliefsculptureasitismoreprofitable.“ItoldhimthatIwouldemployhimforaslongashewantstowork,”saidBaima.“Nowwehavefiveofourowncoppersmiths.Theymadeallthecopperwareinthehotels,frombasinsandpotstodoorbolts.”
Baimaalsocooperateswithlocalhandicraftsmenbytakinghotelgueststotheworkshopswheretheymakeblackpottery,sotoboostdevelopmentoflocalcraftsmanship.
BaimapointedoutthattodaymanypeoplehavealimitedunderstandingoftheessenceofTibetanculture.Forexample,colorpaintings.“SomeTibetanfamiliesspendahugeamountonhomedecoration,butwhattheybuyareshowy,superficialdecorativepaintings.”Baimasaidfranklythatsomearttraditionswerelostandabandonedduringthe“culturalrevolution”(1966-1976).“Asamatteroffact,theTibetanculturerespectsintroversionandsolemnness,”saidBaima.
InordertoshowpeopleauthenticTibetanculture,BaimapersonallymodulatedthecolorsforseveralpaintingsintheSongtsamhotels.HeblendedthecolorsbyimitatingthetoneofhundredsofoldpaintingsthathecollectedinTibet.
Borninasmallvillage,Baimaunderstandstheimportanceofeducation.Since2005,hehasgivenfinancialsupporttochildreninhishomevillagefortheireducation.Moreover,hehashelpedlocalchildrentoattendschoolinareaswhereSongtsamhotelsarelocated.TheallocationisRMB500,RMB1,000andRMB2,000peryearforamiddleschoolstudent,ahighschoolstudent,andacollegestudentrespectively.“Lifeisalongjourney,”Baimasaid,“andhelpingotherswillmakeitmoremeaningful.”
Today,over98percentoftheemployeesattheSongtsamlodgesarefromthelocality.“Theytreattheguestsastheirfriends,whichisinlinewiththeirbeliefthatacloserelationshipshouldbeformedamongpeople.Ithinktheiremotionsandbeliefstouchtheinnerworldofourguests,”saidBaima.
Alongwiththedevelopmentofthebusiness,Baimahasfoundthathislodgesare“neededbypeople.”PeopleunderpressurecanalwaysfeelathomeatBaima’slodgestoresttheirbodiesandsouls.
Shangri-Larepresentsaplaceofpurityinpeople’shearts.However,forBaima,whogrewuphere,itisahomethatmakeseveryresidentandvisitorofthislandhappy.
“MyhopeisthatonedayIcanpickupmycameraagaintomakesomedocumentariesaboutTibet,andsharetheTibetanculturewithmoreaudiences,”saidBaima.
WANGSHUOisareporterwithChinaPictorial.
SongtsamShangri-La(Lügu)LodgefeaturesawiderangeofTibetan-styleornamentationsandfurniture,includingwoodencabinets,figuresofBuddha,Thangkapaintingsandtapestries.
Autumn-huedtreesintheSongtsamShangri-La(Lügu)Lodgeyard.UncreditedphotosbyChenJianENJOY“Iwantmygueststoexperiencelocalcultureandenjoylivingclosertonature.”
98%Over98percentoftheemployeesattheSongtsamlodgesarefromthelocality.