與神山對話

In his search for the mythical Shangri-La, Laurence J. Brahm embarks on the ancient Tea Caravan Trail in Yunnan,China. His journey takes him across Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Lugu, Zhong-dian, and Kawagebo, In these cities that have been developed into popular tourist spots, he learns about the waning cultures of the ethnic minorities such as the Bai,the Dai, the Yi, the Naxi and the Mosu.He meets various individuals, including the famous Chinese dancer Yang Liping,who fight bard against the onslaught of modern development to preserve their ethnic cultures and identities. They share with him stories about the,misty moun-tains that stand majestically in this land "South of the Clouds" and how they are sacred to all the ethnic minority groups that live in the regions.

Follow Laurence's journey and find out how only when one engages in a conver-sation with a mountain will one truly discover why it is sacred.

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Laurence J. Brahm is a global activist dedicated to action initiatives for ethnic diversity and culturally sustainable develop-ment.

A lawyer and economist by profession， he served as advisor to the governments of China，Laos， Vietnam， . Cambodia， and Mongolia on financial， banking and enterprise reform throughout the 1990s， advocating practical solutions to development as alternatives to those espoused by the Washington Consensus.

Since 2002 he has worked in the Himalayanplateau evolving new models of sensitive cultural and eco-tourism development through heritage restoration boutique inns， pioneering micro-equity projects for marginalized women and handicapped， together with rural medical and education outreach programs. With his advocacies and prominent stature in the region，he is considered as one of the pillars of the Himalayan Consensus. He is a founder of the Shambhala Studio.

Author of over twenty books on the Asian region， his work covers a wide spectrum from economic development reform in China and Southeast Asia， to Tibetan new age travel series which includes： Searching for Shangri-La，Conversations with Sacred Mountains， Shamb-hala， and New Age Sutra. He is a columnist and commentator for the South China Morning Post and Review Asia.

He also directs documentary films about Tibet， designs architecture and interiors， raises huskies， ranked a karate black belt， yoga and meditation practitioner. He resides in Lhasa and Beijing. ^[2]