Tibet: In search of Shangri-La by Michael Yamashita

About The Collection

The name Shangri-La, believed to come from the Tibetan word Shambala, which means paradise, has captivated the public imagination ever since James Hilton wrote about this fictional utopia of eternal youth in his 1933 novel, Lost Horizon. Writers, explorers, and tourists have all attempted to identify the actual place that inspired Hilton’s tale of a mysterious harmonious valley in the foothills of the Himalayas. One town in Yunnan, China, located in a spot that resembles the mythological place Hilton described, complete with lamasery, ancient pagodas and serene lakes surrounded by snow-capped mountains, even changed its name to Shangri-la to draw the tourists searching for this enchanted place.

The lure of Shangri-La extends to all of Tibet, a land saturated with the spirit of Buddhism and full of so many magical landscapes. There are countless awe-inspiring places that could be Shangri-La. My last NFT Photographic Collection series centered on one of them -- the dreamlike Jiuzhaigou, one of China’s most pristine UNESCO heritage sites. This 50 km-long nature preserve and park, remotely situated on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, is where my love affair with Tibet began. The fairyland of Jiuzhaigou’s sparkling waterfalls and brilliant blue lakes were the siren call that led me to over a decade of journeys throughout Tibet.

In this ancient land, whose nomadic people welcomed me into their lives with bowls of steaming yak butter tea, I soon learned that religion and culture are inseparable there. Buddhism, which found its way to the Tibetan plateau from India, is entrenched in all aspects of Tibetan life. From prostrating pilgrims making their way to the holy Potala Palace to multi-colored prayer flags fluttering in the wind sending goodwill out into the world the influence of Buddhism is everywhere. Tinged with ancient tribal animist beliefs, Buddhism is the essence of Tibet – it can be heard in the sounds of monks chanting from ancient lamaseries, seen in unspoiled sacred mountain lakes, and celebrated at festivals commemorating a bountiful harvest or the new year. The spiritual always coexists with the physical world.

Over the many years I’ve been traveling to Tibet, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), as it has been called since its annexation by China in 1959, has undergone rapid modernization. Multi-floor office buildings now rise up next to temples; highways and railways are replacing the gravel and dirt roads of the not-too-distant past. With all these fast-disappearing sights and traditions, much of what I have photographed in Tibet is growing increasingly rare. That’s why I am releasing these images for my latest NFT collection – as a record of what once was.

Given that much of the value of an NFT lies in its rarity, it’s appropriate that my photographs preserve and celebrate the singular beauty that is the Tibet that I have grown to know and love. And since so much of the world has been on hold for the past two years, thanks to the global pandemic, the publication of my updated book on Tibet – Shangri La [along the tea road to Lhasa – was delayed. To celebrate the beauty of this amazing region known as the “roof of the world”, I am including a copy of my book with every winning bid at the auction of this collection. It is my hope that my photographs will, like the spirit of Tibetan Buddhism, help enrich a world so in need of faith and hope and send out positive energy like prayer flags blowing peace and kindness with the winds.

The auction pieces in this collection are all dynamic NFTs. Each auction piece is composed of 2-3 photographs related to each other, and will change to show each image over the course of a 24 hour period