Baima Duoji was born in Kna Village
in Shangri-La, Yunnan province.
This is where the Tibetan community gather
on foot to visit the Ganden Sumtseling
Monastery.
He worked as a camera assistant for
British director Phil Agland’s
documentary,
China: Beyond the Clouds.
He took this opportunity to do
further
study at the Beijing Film Academy.
Whilst working as a documentary camera
scenario director for the China
Central Television (CCTV) overseas center,
he financed and directed
the shooting
of many significant documentaries
reflecting Tibetan culture. These include The
Portrait of Mountain
(which won the excellence award at Cannes TV festival in 1998) and
Kumbum Monastery.
When he attended the Cannes TV festival in France,
he became familiar
with the concept of “boutique hotel”.
It was a place where you can feel and experience
a vast amount
of local culture whilst staying in a limited space. It was during this
time
he discovered another opportunity for showcasing Tibetan culture to the world.
Whilst still working for CCTV he returned to Shangri-La
and built his
first boutique lodge, Songtsam Lodge Shangri-La.
From the architectural techniques to
the decorative style,
all were ingeniously infused with Tibetan cultural elements
to create a “home away from home” hidden in the Himalayas.
During this same period,
he shot the documentary Delamu
with “Fifth
Generation” director Tian Zhuangzhuang,
which was a huge success
and received wide
praise in China and abroad.
He left CCTV and devoted himself
to working solely on the collection of
Songtsam retreats,
which include Songtsam Linka Retreat Shangri-La and Benzilan,
Meili, Cizhong, and Tacheng lodges. He brought together nature,
outdoor adventure,
village life, and countryside customs to form
what became known as the first “Songtsam
Circuit”.
He initiated the Songtsam Yunnan & Tibet Route project
and made great
efforts to develop Songtsam Lodge Lijiang
and Songtsam Linka Retreat Lhasa. These two
hotels,
respectively mark the start and finish points of the route.
At the same
time plans for The Songtsam Sichuan & Tibet Route started.
The opening of Mangkang Rumei Lodge,
Ranwu Laigu Lodge, and Bomi Linka
marked
the official launch of the Songtsam Yunnan & Tibet Route,
merging the
Ancient Tea Horse Road, G214 (Yunnan-Tibet highway),
G318 (Sichuan-Tibet highway),
and the Tibetan Plateau road tour into one.