Entrance to the reception area of Songtsam Retreat. [Photo: Global Times]

The golden roof of the Songzanlin Monastery gleams as the first rays of the morning sun peek over the distant mountains behind it. Sturdy yaks, bells clanging around their necks, plod steadfastly across the grasslands and up into the hills, as smoke drifts out of the nearby farm houses and Tibetan women build the morning fire to prepare their breakfast of tsampa, or barley and yak butter tea.

These idyllic scenes greet guests each morning as they awake at the newly opened Songtsam Retreat in Shangri-La, a cluster of 24 cut-stone structures spread across 21 acres of hillside between the Kera and Shika mountains.

The resort is the product of Bai Ma Duoji, a former CCTV cameraman who gave up the trappings of modern life in Beijing to return to his childhood home and build a string of tastefully-decorated boutique hotels with an understated Tibetan influence.

A spectacular hotel in terms of design and scenery, the retreat is modeled upon a type of traditional Tibetan house in which the exterior is a blend of stone and wood.

In an effort to reduce the exploitation of wood resources in the area, Bai Ma collected old beams from 180 dismantled Tibetan houses to build his flagship hotel in Shangri-La. The interiors are modestly decorated with embroidered tankas hanging on the walls, well-made Tibetan rugs, lacquer boxes, brass wash sinks and wooden bathtubs. The final touch is environmentally-friendly cozy fireplaces, which give the rooms a bit of charm on a cold winter night.

While most hotel owners build a hotel and then look for furnishings, Bai Ma reversed the process. Prowling an antique market in Beijing in 1998, he came across a warehouse full of beautiful Tibetan chests. He snapped up more than 40 of them, unsure of what he'd use them for and was more worried about what his wife would say.

The idea of building a hotel came about when he returned home for a visit and noticed that there were no decent hotels in his hometown. He thought that if he could build a small hotel on his family's land, he would have a place to keep and preserve these precious chests. In 2000, the Songtsam Hotel opened, just down the road from the Songzanlin Monastery.

In 2009 came the more-upmarket Songtsam Resort, which Shanghai's Waitan Magazine awarded the Best Concept Hotel in July 2009.