Songtsam Hotels, Resorts & Tours, an award-winning boutique luxury hotel chain in the Tibet and Yunnan Provinces of China, has recently announced the official opening in August of The Songtsam Tibetan Art Museum within the Songtsam Linka Retreat Shangri-La.

Mr. Baima Duoji, Founder and Chairman of Songtsam and former Tibetan Documentary filmmaker, is strongly committed to sharing the essence of Tibetan culture with the world, especially with guests who stay at the Songtsam properties. Baima has dedicated his life to educating others about the inspirational and life changing practices of Tibetan philosophy through experiencing the local culture first hand. Baima, who is passionate about art (and a collector himself) and the stories they tell, decided to establish The Songtsam Tibetan Art Museum, which will include his personal collection of antiquities. The unique Museum will be open to the public as well as Songtsam guests.

Songtsam Tibetan Art Museum: Vision and Commitment

Mr. Baima explained the vision for the Museum: "The vision of Songtsam Group was to hope that guests from afar could learn more about this land through Songtsam. Songtsam Museum is also one of the ways for people to understand this land. Only when people are in close contact with this land can people truly appreciate the power they nurture with their lives when they think about and pursue beauty."

The Songtsam Tibetan Art Museum Collection

The Songtsam Tibetan Art Museum located in Songtsam Linka Retreat Shangri-La, with an area of 2,847 square feet, is divided into two sections. The first floor houses Baima’s private collections, which all share a common theme of "craftsmanship and wisdom.'' The second floor houses the Thangka painting center. This floor of the museum features collections of Thangkas, also known as tangka or tanka. A thangka is a religious scroll painting with cultural significance to the Tibetan people. This treasure of Tibetan folk art mainly features Buddha statues mounted on colorful satin. The beautiful colors of thangka have evolved for more than 1,800 years, accumulating the history and traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Guests will learn how the Thangkas are revered as the encyclopedia of Tibetan culture and play an important role in meditation and worship. This exhibit also displays statues, Tibetan furniture, Buddhist decorations, and miscellaneous smaller pieces, totaling to about 380 precious pieces. The most important collection includes exceptionally rare artifacts such as the Thangka of Panchen Lama Incarnation Lineage: Go Lotsawa Eighteenth Century, Menri Style and the Sixteenth Century statue of Buddha Shakyamuni.

Songtsam Museum Shangri-La will undertake the responsibility of promoting the wisdom of the Buddha and the culture of the snowy land in its own way.