An Amazing Tibetan Toy Story

The Shepherd’s Treasure and Dropenling Designed Puppets

All Sustainable, Environmentally Friendly Creations Available for Sale in Songtsam Hotels’ Boutiques

Songtsam Hotels, Resorts & Tours, an award-winning boutique luxury hotel chain in the Tibet and Yunnan Provinces of China, is proud to announce that their latest sustainability effort is to support two collections of handmade, locally designed and crafted toys. One collection supports 13 tribes consisting of Tibetan herdsmen of Ganga Grassland, a pasture located in the east of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The second collection consists of handmade puppets designed by Dropenling, and made by nomadic women in Northern Tibet. Songtsam has made both collections available for purchase in their hotel boutiques to support the local Tibetan craftsmanship and culture.

Zobelloro, The Shepherd’s Treasure

Zobelloro, meaning The Shepherd’s Treasure, is the Ganga handicrafts collection which hopes to draw attention to the fragile environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, while at the same time increasing income for the herdsman’s families. Ganga’s handicrafts were developed and designed by an environmental protection team, together with these tribes. All agreed that Ganga handicrafts were the best way to develop creative, environmentally friendly cultural toys that combine both traditional and modern elements. Folktales passed down from generation to generation have greatly influenced the patterns and adornment of these handicrafts.  The creative team decided to focus on unique wild animals handmade from wool as the theme for the toy collection, to relate the unique grassland stories, nomadic culture, and the wisdom of nature. They integrate traditional culture into modern art including a pony with a flower ball, a lamb with a scarf, and a little monkey in green clothes.

Traditional Tibetan Puppets Created by Nomadic Women

The second collection, designed by Dropenling, is made by the “real” Tibetan craftswomen, the nomadic women of the local tribes in the North. Starting from a small age they learn how to make puppets and toys using smooth woolen cloth and delicate stitches. Puppet making is also a common activity that provides an opportunity for the women of the family to get together and chat about family stories. Handicrafts have become the source of income for many families. A very inclusive project, local low-income women and people with disabilities are also taught how to design and produce these sustainable toys. Since most of them live in remote villages and pastures, it is difficult for them to travel to local markets to sell their crafts. With the help of Songtsam, these creative sustainable toys will be accessible to visitors from all over the world, providing them with the opportunity to support the development of the remote villages surrounding Songtsam’s properties.

Contact [email protected] to facilitate orders from the U.S.

About Songtsam

Songtsam (“Paradise”) is an award-winning luxury boutique hotel group of Hotels Resorts & Tours located in Tibet and Yunnan Province, China. Founded in 2000 by Mr. Baima Duoji, a former Tibetan Documentary filmmaker, Songtsam is the only collection of luxury Tibetan-style retreats within the wellness space focusing on the concept of Tibetan meditation by combining physical and spiritual healing together.  The 12 unique properties can be found across the Tibetan Plateau, offering guests authenticity, within the context of refined design, modern amenities, and unobtrusive service in places of untouched natural beauty and cultural interest. Songtsam Tours is a Virtuoso Asia Pacific Preferred Supplier and provides guests an opportunity to curate their own experiences by combining stays at its different hotels and lodges designed to discover the region’s diverse culture, rich biodiversity, incredible scenic landscapes, and unique living heritage.  Songtsam was on the 2018 & 2019 Condé Nast Traveler Gold List China Edition, and the 2022 Condé Nast Traveler Gold List USA Edition.

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About Songtsam Tours

Songtsam Tours, a Virtuoso Asia Pacific Preferred Supplier, offers curated experiences by combining stays at its different hotels and lodges designed to discover the region’s diverse culture, rich biodiversity, incredible scenic landscapes, and unique living heritage. Songtsam currently offers two signature routes: the Songtsam Yunnan Circuit, which explores the “Three Parallel Rivers” area (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the new Songtsam Yunnan-Tibet Route, which merges the Ancient Tea Horse Road, G214 (Yunnan-Tibet highway), G318 (Sichuan-Tibet highway), and the Tibetan Plateau road tour into one, adding unprecedented comfort to the Tibetan travel experience.

About Songtsam Mission

Songtsam’s mission is to inspire their guests with the diverse ethnic groups and cultures of the region and to understand how the local people pursue and understand happiness, bringing Songtsam guests closer to discovering their own Shangri La. At the same time, Songtsam has a strong commitment to sustainability and the preservation of the essence of Tibetan culture by supporting the economic development of the local communities and the environmental conservation within Tibet and Yunnan.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

U.S. Contact for Songtsam

Florence Li, Director of International Sales and Marketing

Email: [email protected]  

U.S. Editorial Contact for Songtsam

The Bradford Group

Karen Hoffman/Amanda Marconi

Tel: (212) 447-0027

E-mail: [email protected]