In Conversations with Sacred Mountains, I embark on the ancient Tea Caravan Trail in Yunnan, China. This journey takes us across Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Lugu Lake, Zhongdian, and Kawagebo. In these cities that have been developed into popular tourist spots, we learn about the waning cultures of the ethnic minorities such as the Bai, the Dai, the Yi, the Naxi and the Mosu. We meet various individuals, including the famous Chinese dancer Yang Liping, who fight hard against the onslaught of modern development to preserve their ethnic cultures and identities. They share with us stories about the misty mountains 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.
Deep down inside, we all know our planet is not sustainable the way it is being run. We need a new economic approach that embraces our environment, with new measures of success – both national and personal, that seeks balance between the material and spiritual. In Himalayan Notes we journey to the heart of ourselves to ask a hard question: is there another way?
Laurence J. Brahm is an American-born global activist, author, pioneer social enterprise entrepreneur, political-economist, international mediator, and lawyer based in Beijing and Lhasa, China.
He is the founder of Himalayan Consensus, a NGO, and the African Consensus Movement, both dedicated to protecting ethnic diversity through sustainable economics. Brahm is also founder and CEO of Shambhala Serai, one of Asia’s first social enterprises.