Shangri-La is a big triangular mountain area overlapping Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet. The average altitude is 3,459 meters.

Thangka is a traditional Tibetan art form. Painters illustrate famous Buddhist stories, legends and folklore. Thangka is normally drawn on silk and the paint used is made of natural stones and pure ingredients.

Thangka Academy is part of the Shangri-La Association of Cultural Preservation, an NGO for preserving and protecting Tibetan traditional culture and heritage. It is funded by Daka Kelden and led by Master Lobsang Khedup. Students from Tibetan ethnicity receive tuition free of charge while for non-Tibetans it is only 1,000 yuan (HK$1,250) per year.

Thangka Academy is located in an old Dukezhong town that also houses the largest "Spinning Golden Bucket" in the world. It is a quiet place, largely cut off from the technology. The air is clean and there is nature all around.

(HK Edition 04/10/2015 page9)