Laurence J. Brahm travels through the western region of China in search of Shangri-La – only to find that it is not a place, but a state of mind. Shangri-La has now become a source of creative inspiration, drawing China’s leading figures in pop culture and art circles to western China, all in search of Shangri-La. China’s leading cultural figures such as composer San Bao, dancer Yang Liping, and pop singer Dadawa appear in the book, together with artists, lamas, and living Buddhas. Searching for Shangri-La is China’s first alternative philosophy travelogue.

Laurence J. Brahm is a lawyer and political economist by profession. Since 2002, Brahm has devoted most of his time to producing and directing a series of film features and documentaries featuring Tibet. During this time, he wrote a series of travelogues which includes Searching for Shangri-La, Conversations with Sacred Mountains, Shambhala, and New Age Sutra. In 2005, he established the Shambhala Foundation. Shambhala Foundation promotes ethnic diversity and supports culturally sustainable development models that include monastery restoration, construction of schools, developing medical clinics, as well as micro- enterprises in the Tibetan regions of western China.
Brahm has spent over two decades advising multinational corporations regarding their investments in China, negotiating on their behalf, and advising the governments of China and Indochina on financial and enterprise reform before closing his law practice, going to Tibet ,and making films. He is a pioneer of culturally sustainable heritage restoration in Beijing and Lhasa, having helped conserve historic neighborhoods and sections of the Great Wall by restoring ancient buildings and establishing a series of heritage hotels. Author of numerous books on China and Asia, Brahm writes a weekly column in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post and Review Asia. He is viewed by many as a barometer of China's economic and political environment. He resides in both Lhasa and Beijing.