If life is a journey, Dandeli Art Center (“Dandeli”) is a posthouse for people who have passionation for life to take a break and share their stories. On April 4, 2009, Dandeli welcomed several dozens of Chinese and overseas travel enthusiasts who are infactuated with the breath-taking beauty of the Himalayas, including the alumni of the University of Melbourne and members of Global Entrepreneur Readers’ Club. Travel magazine editor Jiang Ling , photographer Dai Wei, and white collar worker Janice Law are three of these travel enthusiasts who have explored the remotest parts of the Tibetan plateau on more than one occasion. They shared with everyone at the event their unforgettable experiences in and emotional connection with the heavenly mountains and the Himalayian residents.

The Motuo Rendavous — A Spiritual Pilgrimage

Jiang Ling had her first randavous with the Himalayas when she was working for Alpinist, a magazine published by Chinese Mountaineering Association. As a correspondent, she often needed to visit Tibet and interview mountaineers. Jiang, who used to be a layman to mountaineering, did not start to build up her knowledge and understanding of this professional sport and the spiritual world of mountaineers until she hiked on the Himalayas herself. Conquering these cloud-kissing jokuls made Jiang swell with ambition — she just could not stop heading to the next one that is even higher after she reached the top of one mountain. Her respect to the nature also grew with her confidence — she could always find peace inside of her and feel the blessing of the nature whenever she faced the snowy mountains. To Jiang, the snowy Himalayas are not merely mountains, they are divinity. For this reason, she decided not to conquer these mountains anymore but worship them. In October 2007, Jiang visited Motuo , one of the most mysterious areas in Tibet and the only country in China not connected to a highway . According to her, the government had attempted to build highways to Motuo, a place highly respected by local people, on a number of occasions since 1965; however, these efforts were unsuccessful due to technicial barriers or natural disasters. Poor transportation facilities make the hiking route to Motuo as tough as that to the Mount Everest. Jiang’s journey to Motuo, although full of hardship, has enabled her to achieve a unique perspective and explore the true meaning of life. When she is back to her normal urban life, Jiang has found that she appreciates more about what she has and feels happiness always around her. The road to Motuo, which is paved with the challenges of life to the local people, is indeed a journey of spiritual pilgrimage to the visitors.

Living Teasures — Tulkus Before Camera

Dai Wei had his first trip to Tibet in 1997 when he was in the first year of university. After graduating from university, he started his own commercial photography business in Shanghai. Over the year, Tibet remains to be one of Dai’s favorite travel destinations. However, he never thought about capturing the images of tulkus (living buddhas) he met with his camera until his buddist friends asked him to do so. Since 2003, Dai has taken numberous photos of tulkus, sadhus and local Tibetan people. At the beginning, Dai only took these photos to entertain his friends. Later, he found tulkus really special and decided to make them the theme of one of his photo series. As “Tulkus” in Tibetan means treasures or precious things, Dai named the series “living treasures”, which also include the images of some monks with respectful wisdom and without an comfortable life. Since tulkus and monks are rarely interviewed or taken photos of, Dai had to shoot them secretly before approaching and chatting with them most of the time. Although the theme of Dai’s series “living treasures” is religious, he, as a non-Buddist, hopes that people can see his works beyond the religious context when appreciating and collecting them.

Bhutan — the last Shangri-La
Janice Law is a typical office lady who works hard and plays hard. She loves travel but only to the destinations most of her friends are not willing to go. Janice has been to many countries and finds Bhutan the most impressive one. Bhutan locates at the foot of the Himalayas, has a population of 600,000 and a total area of 47,000 km2 (about the size of Swiss). In this small country, entry is free for the citizens of India and Bangadesh. Tourists from other countries are required to sign up with a Bhutanese tour operator. Janice went to Bhutan during the Chinese new year of 2007. Her trip was very relaxing — she spent some quality time doing sightseeing and taking photos on the horse back. Thimphu, the capital, is the busiest and most popularous city. The houses in the city are built on the mountains and with a distinctive style. Transportation is convenient, tourists may travel around in buses or taxis. The local currency is Ngultrum, but Indian rupee is also accepted. What is interesting is that people below 18 years are permitted to drink in bars but all people are banned from drinking on Tuesdays. According to Janice, Bhutan is the real Shangri-La where simple and honest local residents lead an independent and carefree life. Unlike the visitors who fly or drive there from big cities to relax and recharge, the Bhutanese breathe in the stunning landscape and look happy everyday.

On April 7, 2009, Jiang Ling, Janice Law and representatives of Dandeli were invited to speak on the Travel Bar, a bilingual show by Beijing People’s Radio Station. The group shared with the audience on air and the internet about their travel experiences and. For more information about the show, please visit： http://www.netfm.com.cn/jcsp/yyb/200904/t20090409_503563.htm.