Number IVAprIl mmXIII

by ‘ultImAte luXury group’

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L ’ A B U S D ’ A L C O O L E S T D A N G E R E U X P O U R L A S A N T É . C O N S O M M E Z A V E C M O D É R A T I O N .

DEUTZ 225x255 CIEL ETOILE:3.8 13/02/13 15:34 Page1

‘u’editorial

AsIA Is IN the AIrthe spring resolution is to live like a nomad. Winter hibernation gives way to an escape in Asia. trendsetters are formal, more than a trend, a real Asian movement is taking over France in 2013. because of its galloping economy and its strong appetite for consumption, Asia is becoming the new el Dorado of luxury. to seduce China, our designers joyfully draw their inspiration on it: pucci kimono parade, colourful socks dress the feet of prada’s neo-geishas while Jean-paul gauthier uses traditional floral prints. Even the emblematic liberty print from Cacharel turns into tea flowers, water lilies and Zen fish.

Asia and its fantasies colour the zeitgeist, for our greater delight. teeming megacities at the top of tibet, Asia has a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that will not leave anyone unconcerned. through fashion trends, beauty and cultural news, ‘u’ magazine begins a fas-cinating journey to a land of exoticism and modernity. Welcome to Asia.

laure de régloix

Director of publication Zakary Chanou

Art Direction (photography) and editorial grégoire mahler (www.gregoiremahler.fr)

Art Direction (graphic design) and editorial benoît Cannaferina (www.cannaferina.com)

Writing laure de régloix (www.kissmyart.fr)

Writing lou Camino (www.loucamino.com)

Writing laurent pécha (www.ecranlarge.com)

marketing and advertising benjamin guiborel

editing and advertising malika ben mustapha

‘ 3 ’

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numberIV

‘ 6 ’

‘u’ News

‘ 8 ’

boyish yakusas

‘ 14 ’

Zen beauty

‘ 18 ’

the (hi)story messenger

‘ 22 ’

the grandmaster

‘ 28 ’

Kawaii

‘ 36 ’

yang yongliang “silent Valley”

‘ 42 ’

the gem of the snows

‘ 5 ’

‘u’news

paris haute CoutureFor the first time, the hôtel de Ville of the fashion capital

celebrates haute Couture. the exhibition in the hotel de Ville highlights a sophisticated industry that the world is coveting bet-ter than a fashion show, a hundred masterpieces of renowned designers like lanvin, Chanel, Nina ricci, balenciaga, Christian Dior, Cardin, yves saint laurent are unveiled to an amazed public. to discover the heart of the legendary fashion studios, a set of drawings and photographs illustrate steps of creation, from sketches to presentation through fashioning. An opportunity to pay a brilliant tribute to talented seamstresses which are busy bringing the dream to life.

uNtIl July, 6th At the hôtel De VIlle IN pArIs

‘u’ FAshIoN

‘ 6 ’

burberry body tender the english brand launches a younger version of its bold and

iconic burberry body. “With body tender, we wanted to explore and highlight the softer and more playful facets of the burberry girl, capturing all this airy femininity,” says Christopher bailey, creative director. the fragrance blends notes of fresh lemon, acid apple, green absinthe combined with more delicate scents of rose, jasmine and cashmere wood. And to embody the perfume, the choice fell on the sparkling Cara Delevigne, already face of burberry, which this time is striking the pose beside the thames for the campaign signed mario testino.

the French style“Fashion is not only about dresses, fashion is in the air, it is the

wind that brings it, we feel it, we breath it, it is in heaven and on the asphalte, it comes from ideas, customs, events.” said gabrielle Chanel. It is this fashion that bérénice Vila baudry describes in her book the French style. From the bikini to existentialism to the little prince, Cézanne, gastronomy or the Nouvelle Vague, here is a cultural summary of what makes the beauty of our country. A nice witty walk on the roads of France.

WWW.AssoulINe.Com

A new flower for DiptyqueNature is an endless source of inspiration for Diptyque. over

the seasons, the fifty-year-old maison located on boulevard saint-germain travels the world in search of new perfumes. this time, the star of scented candles celebrates sunny days with a new perfume, the daffodil. This golden flower, one of the first to bloom in the woods exhales its delicious harmony of moss and honey. Its soft fragrance will definitely put your home a summery in mood.

WWW.DIptyquepArIs.Com

‘ 7 ’

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‘u’ mAgAZINe

‘ 8 ’

boyish yAKusAs

photograph enzo Addistylist Alessandra stellaAssistant Duncan DimancheHairdressing Skiinny Jackmake up Camille lutzmodel oktawia b. via Jeremy K. (Women Agency)

‘ 9 ’

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‘ 11 ’

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‘ 12 ’

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‘ 13 ’

ZeN beauty

We look for the freshness of our peers from beijing, hanoi and tokyo, a crystalline complexion, flowery lips and softly powdered eyelids. It is just the right time, in 2013 our beauty products try to crack the secret of their ancestral beauty secrets. our vanity cases have a sweet smell of Asia.

‘u’ FAshIoN

‘ 14 ’

more than a luxury, in Asia cosmetic is a religion. elegance is nothing new. In Ancient China a perfect skin was a sign of politeness and social class belong-ing. 2000 years later, Asians are still searching for the absolute beauty. A light skin in Japan, a flaw-less complexion in Korea, a fresh makeup in China… the daily beauty routine is a real ritual: the “layer-ing” enthusiasts can add up to 12 skin cares on top of each other. To satisfy them, brands offer more and more specialised products, fruits of high-tech for-mulas and traditional recipes. Women from all over the world drool over their baby doll complexions. so the western cosmetic has started to take an interest in this market for several years. And it works. As proof, the essential “brightening” phenomenon with the famous bb-Cream or the madness around nude makeup. here are the trendy treatments and makeup products inspired from Asia.

laure de régloix

erborian “CC-Cream”erborian was one of the first brands to offer the famous

bb-Cream (blemishbalm). Developed in Korea to be applied after a laser peeling session, this potion was the star of 2012. this year Erborian offers a CC-Cream (corrector cream) that corrects the complexion. made of a powerful antioxidant, the CentellaAsiatica, this magic treatment moisturizes, blurs the imperfections and protects from uV rays (spF 45). It is the perfect cocktail to enter spring with a fresh face.

AVAIlAble sINCe mArCh At sephorA

© Kilian hennessy

‘ 15 ’

“bb-Cream enhancer” by unethe nude trend coming from Asia is on every face in 2013.

user’s guide: put on makeup to make people believe you are not wearing any. the skin is smooth, even, young and radiant…and above all natural. An ideal cocktail invented by the 100% natu-ral brand une, which had the good idea to turn a bb-Cream into powder. In pink or apricot version, the une health-glow mineral Powder shades off signs of fatigue and enhances the complexion. Its cream-powder texture is even lighter than a classic bb-Cream, it is applied with a kabuki brush for an immediate radiance boost.

WWW.uNebeAuty.Com

shiseido “perfect rouge”In Asia women make up their lips for thousands years.

originally worn to please gods on religious ceremonies, it is now-adays a not to be missed element for an ideal makeup. In order to satisfy even more its demanding clients, shiseido keeps on inno-vating since its first lipstick in 1922 until its emblematic Perfect rouge. thanks to an exceptional pigment, the illuminating red pearl, the perfect rouge brings a light and a unique colour to the lips. Dragon red, Venetian rose, Day lily… 15 new shades are blooming for summer 2013.

WWW.shIseIDo.Com

sultane de saba “Voyage Japonais”

The Sultana becomes Geisha and offers treatments for combi-nation and dull skins. the four products of the “Voyage Japonais” range are created from rice powder, known for its mattifying and lightening virtues, so dear to Japanese women. thanks to the astringent scrub, purifying mask, regenerating serum and mois-turizing cream, after the whole ritual, the complexion is as bright and smooth as China.

WWW.lAsultANeDesAbA.Com

‘u’ FAshIoN

shuuemura “unmask”make up specialist since its creation, the brand is also a pioneer

in skin cares and has become the number one make up remover in Asia. launched in 1967 by mr shuuemura, the makeup remover oil unmask is a revolution in the cosmetic world. this wonder-ful product cleanses without attacking the skin, moisturizes and leaves the skin ultra fresh. Asians cannot get enough of it because they know it, removing impurities boosts the metabolism and avoids premature skin aging. 46 years after its creation, a bottle is sold every 7 seconds throughout the world. that is a good reason to try this one-of-a-kind makeup remover.

WWW.shuuemurA.Com

“Flower of Immortality” by Kilian

Kilian hennessy—grand-son of the founder of lVmh and creator of ultra trendy perfumes—continues his trip in Asia while extending his “Asia tales” collection. After the fragrances Water Calligraphy and bambooharmony, he presents Flower of Immortality, inspired by a Chinese tale. It pays tribute to the peach flower that may have the power to enchant the soul and make it immortal. It is supported by scents of carrot, iris, black-currant bud, crystal rose, tonka beans and vanilla. this delicious perfume of white peach would for sure delight you.

WWW.byKIlIAN.Com

‘ 17 ’

‘u’ eVeNts

© Alejandro guerrero

‘ 18 ’

the (hI)story messenger

Alexis michalik drama

‘ 19 ’

«Know-ledge is

the sour-ce of

life.»

The (hi)sTory Messenger

actors

5

3 men

2 women

in perfectsymbiosis

performing about thirty characters

some famous ones

some unknown people

Marie-Antoinette

Le Prince de Polignac

Henri Martin

Martin

Martin

living atdifferent times

a café-owner

a greve digger

a lawyer...

Alia

Eugène Delacroix

transitions from a century to another in a staggering fluidity

17th

14th

18th

19th

20th

21th

A fascinating trip across time...

... and space

FranceCanada

Algeriathe Ardennes forest

this is where the story

begins

Martin Martin’s story

We get out feelingcharMed,

turned over,entranced,

enraptured,and in a hurry to get invol-

ved in a new story...

the storyteller

the common thread

tells a story

well, several stories

or, his story

But what is history?

words

«air in

viBration»

tales

so, the expression of a subjectivity

the small

the Big one

the official one

the one from books and memoriesthe glorious one

the unofficial onelegends

the one withhidden treasures

that some-times meets

the big one

a text

subtlesmart

funny

T h e (Hi)story Mes-

senger is a story of stories overlapped in each others, magni-

ficently told and performed by cha-meleon actors. In a minimalist setting,

they manage in a gesture, an accent, a background music as discreet as remar-kable, to make us believe that it is pou-

ring down, flying over the Algerian desert or clinking glasses with

Alexandre Dumas or Eugène Delacroix…

F r o m digression to

digression, they set the world to rights, draw

again the History featured like we know and learn them, and carry us in a parallel

world where another rea-lity is being built.

T h e spectator is li-

terally grabbed by the tale, kept on tenterhooks by

the story snippets the actors gradually tell, until the circle is complete and the whole

story becomes coherent and compact.

Alexandre Dumas...

T h e (Hi)story Mes-

senger questions on no-tions about history, truth(s),

reality(/ies), fiction stories. Through them he asks about filia-tion, identity, transmission – oral

and written -, or heritage – cultural, historical and lastly,

familial…

The (hi)story messengerFrom February, 6th 2013

Studio des Champs Elysées15 av. Montaigne

75008 Paris

01 53 23 99 19www.comediesdeschamps

elysees.com

Lou

ca

Min

o

and secret societies

and all others’

‘u’ eVeNts

‘ 20 ’

«Know-ledge is

the sour-ce of

life.»

The (hi)sTory Messenger

actors

5

3 men

2 women

in perfectsymbiosis

performing about thirty characters

some famous ones

some unknown people

Marie-Antoinette

Le Prince de Polignac

Henri Martin

Martin

Martin

living atdifferent times

a café-owner

a greve digger

a lawyer...

Alia

Eugène Delacroix

transitions from a century to another in a staggering fluidity

17th

14th

18th

19th

20th

21th

A fascinating trip across time...

... and space

FranceCanada

Algeriathe Ardennes forest

this is where the story

begins

Martin Martin’s story

We get out feelingcharMed,

turned over,entranced,

enraptured,and in a hurry to get invol-

ved in a new story...

the storyteller

the common thread

tells a story

well, several stories

or, his story

But what is history?

words

«air in

viBration»

tales

so, the expression of a subjectivity

the small

the Big one

the official one

the one from books and memoriesthe glorious one

the unofficial onelegends

the one withhidden treasures

that some-times meets

the big one

a text

subtlesmart

funny

T h e (Hi)story Mes-

senger is a story of stories overlapped in each others, magni-

ficently told and performed by cha-meleon actors. In a minimalist setting,

they manage in a gesture, an accent, a background music as discreet as remar-kable, to make us believe that it is pou-

ring down, flying over the Algerian desert or clinking glasses with

Alexandre Dumas or Eugène Delacroix…

F r o m digression to

digression, they set the world to rights, draw

again the History featured like we know and learn them, and carry us in a parallel

world where another rea-lity is being built.

T h e spectator is li-

terally grabbed by the tale, kept on tenterhooks by

the story snippets the actors gradually tell, until the circle is complete and the whole

story becomes coherent and compact.

Alexandre Dumas...

T h e (Hi)story Mes-

senger questions on no-tions about history, truth(s),

reality(/ies), fiction stories. Through them he asks about filia-tion, identity, transmission – oral

and written -, or heritage – cultural, historical and lastly,

familial…

The (hi)story messengerFrom February, 6th 2013

Studio des Champs Elysées15 av. Montaigne

75008 Paris

01 53 23 99 19www.comediesdeschamps

elysees.com

Lou

ca

Min

o

and secret societies

and all others’

‘ 21 ’

TONY LEUNG ZHANG ZIYI

IL ÉTAIT UNE FOIS LE KUNG-FU

UN FILM DE

WONG KAR WAI

découvrez la légende d’ip man

créd

its no

n con

trac

tuel

s

WILD BUNCH BLOCK 2 PICTURES SIL-METROPOLE ORGANISATION LIMITED présentent en association avec ANNAPURNA PICTURES une production JET TONE FILMS ET SIL-METROPOLE ORGANISATION LIMITED un film de WONG KAR WAI TONY LEUNG ZHANG ZIYI CHANG CHEN ZHAO BENSHAN XIAO SHENYANG et SONG HYE KYO avec les participations spéciales de YUEN WO PING CHILAM CHEUNG LA KA YUNG et CUNG LE “THE GRANDMASTER” producteurs exécutifs SONG DAI CHAN YE CHENG MEGAN ELLISON

producteurs WONG KAR WAI JACKY PANG YEE WAH co-producteurs REN YUE CHEUNG HONG TAT NG SEE YUEN MICHAEL J. WERNER image PHILIPPE LE SOURD chorégraphie combats YUEN WO PING décors WILLIAM CHANG SUK PING ALFRED YAU WAI MING musique originale SHIGERU UMEBAYASHI NATHANIEL MECHALY son ROBERT MACKENZIE montage WILLIAM CHANG SUK PING BENJAMIN COURTINES POON HUNG YIU histoire WONG KAR WAI scénario ZOU JINGZHI XU HAOFENG WONG KAR WAI

réalisation WONG KAR WAI

on April, 17th the French public will discover the new full-length feature film of the famous filmmaker from hong-Kong (In the mood for love). Its name? the grandmaster. A masterpiece that arouses curiosity as it is the first incursion of the film director into the world of kung fu. moreover it will make us discover the life of a legend: the mythical Ip man, known by the Westerners for being the master of a certain bruce lee. We waited this meeting for a long time, as Wong Kar Wai is known for his endless shooting that the author unveiled for us this fascinating meeting

during his stay in paris, and gave us some of his trade secrets.

since he started in 1988 with As tear goes by on the occasion of his selection at the Critic’s Week of the Cannes Films Festival, Wong Kar Wai has created a style and a trademark that are easy to identify. Although the New Wave influence has always been more or less present in his work, the artist is also well known for his peculiar way to devise his art. thus the Wong Kar Wai method is made so the rules of a classic film shooting are no

thegrAND

mAsterWong Kar Wai film

‘ 23 ’

longer relevant. Just like he tells us in confidence with clear-headedness, he wants to “get lost into an atmosphere”. this is the aim he is constantly trying to reach. even more with the grandmaster with its “once upon a time, there was kung fu” dimen-sion. It is a tribute to once upon a time in America from sergio leone and to ennio morricone’s great music composition, for that matter the filmmaker used a piece of the original soundtrack for one of his film sequences. so the grandmaster offers beautiful moments of “spleen” that makes the film incredibly melancholic. this is a challenge for a film about kung fu that only Wong Kar Wai was able to achieve.

Indeed the film director searched for a way to approach this universe for a long time. Contrary to what we could assume, Wong Kar Wai has always been fond of martial arts movies, but he had to find the right angle before going into making a long-term project. to him films about kung fu are centred most of the time around the themes of victory or revenge. he found the angle he was looking for while watching a documen-tary about Ip man executing a demonstration of his movements, at the end of his life. his grandmaster is firstly a film that evokes the transmission of skills. The filmmaker asks a question that fascinates him:

“how can you share what you learnt to the younger generations?”.

‘u’ eVeNts & eNtertAINmeNt

‘ 24 ’

With this idea in mind, Wong Kar Wai got into the adventure. An adventure that he and his team could have missed out as the conception of the shooting for the Wong Kar Wai is very different from the usual visions. so if you get involved in one of Wong Kar Wai’s movies, you take the risk not to see your fam-ily for a certain time. you must be careful. And this was even more the case with the grandmaster. After eight years of preparation, the film shooting spread on… 3 years!!! (in comparison, an important shooting lasts about 40 weeks). the faithful photography direc-tor, Philippe le Sourd witnessed it, as the filmmaker confirmed: “I told him I was going to make a film about kung fu in China, and I offered him to do it. He

asked me how long the shooting would last, I replied perhaps six months. And we spent two Christmases together. He had prepared his Winter stuff, and I sug-gested that he should pack his Summer stuff too”.

on all film sets, we would raise the alarm, the producers would start panicking and blaming the filmmaker for having lost control of his film. But not in Wong Kar Wai’s world. he stays perfectly Zen: “I was feeling like in a giant department store, when you don’t have time to catch everything. The mar-tial world and this period of time are very interest-ing, and I would have liked to have more time. The team was perfect, and my casting truly devoted. It is not usual, for a film, to take so much time. We had

‘ 25 ’

very young members in the team, this time. At the end of the shooting we had filmed 90 hours, because we couldn’t stop. When we repacked, they all cried. It was almost like finishing university”.

In the cinematographic world, it is hard to find any-one “more artist” than Wong Kar Wai, a man able to change a whole and brilliant working plan because he decided they should roll such-and-such sequence. And it is not a problem if the actors have to wait endlessly in their hotel rooms. they know it, above all, comes the master’s inspiration. And it shows up on the screen: the grandmaster lets you see images of an astonish-ing beauty. We discover a brand new way to approach kung fu. the train scene is already iconic and shows

with a breathtaking mastery how a combat under the snow can give birth to other emotions, whereas Wong Kar Wai says, with modesty and mystery, that there is no secret to this scene: “there are only punches and kicks”.

there is no reason to insist, the maestro is not known to anatomize his art. his hobby horse is the emotion, the instinctive inspiration. even though the fulfillment has been really long, the grandmaster seems to suit him as is. so well that he does not envis-age any director’s cut. “Not at this point” he passes over quickly. unfazed, Wong Kar Wai—temporarily?—says farewell to his film: “I am very happy, because the seven past years have been very pleasant. I am

‘u’ eVeNts & eNtertAINmeNt

‘ 26 ’

glad to have had the opportunity to work with these people. If there is one thing I have learnt from martial arts, it is discipline. Within three years of shooting, I have wanted the persons involved to work on some-thing that they were proud of.” And they can be, the grandmaster, described as “vertical and horizontal, the essence of martial arts” is a unique masterpiece, visually out of the box ordinary. probably the author’s best film!

laurent pécha

‘ 27 ’

‘u’ mAgAZINe

Dress Caroline seikaly

‘ 28 ’

KAWAII

photograph grégoire mählerstylist Alessandra stellaHairdressing & make up luc Drouen (backstage Agency)model yana (agency Angels and demons)

‘ 29 ’

Necklace hélène Zoubeldiaring Isabelle michel

‘u’ mAgAZINe

spindle hélène Zoubeldiatop Naco paris

‘u’ mAgAZINe

‘ 32 ’

Dress Caroline seikalyNecklace hélène Zoubeldia

‘ 33 ’

‘u’ mAgAZINe

‘u’ Art & DesIgN

© yang yongliang / Courtesy galerie paris-beijing

‘ 36 ’

yANg yoNglIANgsilent valley

the remarkable work of the artist yang yongliang navigates between dream and nightmare, nature and urban, ancient art and ultra modern technology. boarding for a journey to the heart of the mystic “SilentValley” final series of the artist presented by the paris-beijing gallery.

‘ 37 ’

‘u’ Art & DesIgN

born in 1980 in shanghai, yang yongliang has been interested from an early age in painting and calligraphy in the purest Chinese tradition. later on, he joined the shanghai Art Institute to become a disciple of the great calligrapher yang yang and expert in the ancestral arts. At the age of 25, he was the one who dusted off the Shanshui, landscape painting that has been used for more than a thousand years which he applies the codes with talent. even his photomontages are printed on large rolls of cot-ton paper in black and white just like Indian ink. but yang yongliang deceives everyone, and therein lies his genius.

because classical calligraphy at first glance conceals a urban imagery with teeming details. Not really Zen.

In “silentValley”, blooming peache trees and idyllic misted waterfalls of the shanshui gave way to a dark fire-and-brimstone landscape. Far away, holy moun-tains bristle with buildings, towers and cranes. A fallen angel dressed in white wanders through minefields and attends this scene of desolation.the artist goes further in the landscapes of “the moonlight” series with plunging views on the city.

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Here, nature has definitely lost the fight. Under the moonlight stirs a megalopolis with aggressive lights, loud noises and saturated pollution. Which seems at first glance dreamlike becomes a nightmarish image for yang yongliang. An ambivalent feeling that ani-mates the artist: The city, the landscape, I love them and hate them at the same time. If I love the city for its familiar side, I hate even more the amazing speed at which it grows and encompasses the environment. Although I like traditional Chinese art for its depth and inclusiveness, I hate its retrograde attitude.

so are we talking about a visionary work? the scary futuristic landscapes of yang yongliang certainly denounce the excesses of Chinese massive indus-trialization and make us wonder about the future of the planet, disfigured by the sprawling cities. But it is above all, sublime and poetic. No wonder it fascinates the public and collectors. the fantastic atmosphere emanating from the timeless elegance of its landscape, not to mention delicate details that literally snatch anyone who confronts it.

laure de régloix

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paris-beijing galerie54 rue du Vertbois 75003 paris,from march, 14th to April, 27th 2013.

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photograph grégoire mähler

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the gem oF

the snows

If you are planning to go to Nepal or tibet in the near future, indulge yourself with a pilgrimage to the Kailash mountain… A hike to the hilltop that will change you for sure.

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Why are we persisting to travel to mars whereas we have the possibility to go directly to the centre of uni-verse? It is paradoxically closer to us, wherever we live on the planet. No need to train to become astronaut, or to go in the centrifuge—which can actually appeal adventurous thrill seekers—, a simple paris-lhassa or Katmandou would do it!

Where goDs meetthe centre of universe is located on earth, in Western tibet, and more precisely at the top of the Kailash mountain in the Ngari region. At least on a symbolic and spiritual point of view, it is one of the great sacred places on the planet, where pilgrims come together for centuries. thus buddhists consider it like the last home of Demchog, the lord buddha of compassion—whom Dalaï lama is the reincarnation—, and hindus consider it is the house of shiva, the supreme god. For those tibetans observing bön-po beliefs, it rep-resents the place where shamabmiwoche, founder of their tradition, was born and taught. Whereas to Jains, an Indian religion close to buddhism, it represents the place where rishabanatha, the founder of their belief, was illuminated. the Kailash mountain, “crys-tal” in hindi, is called Kang rimpoche by buddhists—

“precious gem of the snows”—, meru mountain by hindus and Ashtapada by Jains. For all of them, that is to say that more than a billion people, a seventh of the world population, making the pilgrimage—it is called the kora—to the Kailash mountain is the goal of their lives.

A DIAmoND IN the heArt oF the uNIVerseperceived as the contact point between the earth and the skies, closest to the gods, the mountain is a sacred place by virtue of his nature, at the cross-roads between spirit and material. the morphology of the Kailash mountain can only be admired and calls for transcendence: alone in the middle of very high

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uplands, it culminates at 6,714 meters high and often has its head in the clouds. shaped like a diamond, it has a perfectly pyramidal shape and each of its four sides is directed in the direction of cardinal points. An open-air jeweller’s where North represents gold, east cystal, south sapphire and West, ruby. to make the legend even more perfect, four rivers begin their course at its feet, coming from the manasarovar lake, the most sacred tibetan lake. It is considered by the hindus as the expression of brahma’s spirit, the crea-tor of universe, and pilgrims bathe in it to purify them-selves. each of these cold streams heads towards the cardinal points: the Indus river towards the North, the sutlej towards the West, the Karnali towards the south and the brahmapoutre towards the east, reminding us of the four rivers that flow from the original paradise in the biblical tradition.

A VoyAge IN mINerAl terrItorIesCenturies ago, pilgrims reached the region by foot before conquering the sacred mountain. A road leads henceforth to Darchen, a village located on a 4,500 meter high tableland, where pilgrims come together before heading to Tarboche, the official start-ing point of the pilgrimage. some of them even do the first kilometers of the kora with a jeep, then they swap it for a yak or a porter—a kampa—so you can hike freely. the most important thing is to go around the mountain, no matter what means are used, by foot or on horseback, even though the “prosternation” mode is equivalent to around twenty koras (you will under-stand why this detail is important later on).

Although buddhists and hinduists make their kora clockwise, böns walk the other way around, so they are recognizable on the paths. This 53 kilometer fitness trail starts at 4,800 meters high. the most zealous pil-grims make it in 14 hours—several days in a row most of the time—, the majority makes it within three days and the most assiduous within three weeks as they are

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prostrating themselves every three steps: they join hands, cross themselves on the forehead, the mouth and the heart, lay down on the earth, get back on their feet, walk three steps, and so forth… Four places of prostration are situated at the feet of the mountain, one on every side. every day immersed in this mineral atmosphere is punctuated by stages in a very spiritual places. stupas (heaps of rocks), temples receiving walkers at night (unless you would better camp at the river’s edge), as well as four monasteries mark out the path that pilgrims of all ages stride along.

short oF breAth…starting from tarboche, a real beacon in the mountain with its 20 meter high mast of prayers where hundreds of small flags are fluttering, the loop involves on its second day the climbbing of a pass at 5,650 meters high. the Drölma-la col makes you realize how a nice dose of oxygen is important to your life, while giving you the impression that you are permanently hyper-ventilating. When you reach it, the mercy goddess forgives all your sins. she is embodied by a rectan-gular bloc with a mast of prayers sat on top of it. the pilgrims make their offerings around it. At this time you give up your current life to enter a new one… the last stage of the kora consists of going past the mir-acle cave or Zutulpok gompa, dedicated to milerpa, poet and great yogi of the 11th century, who lived in himalayan caves. Full of a new serenity, you can then start the descent towards the Darchen plains, knowing that you will improve your life in the future. If walk-ing one time around the mountains erases the sins of a whole life, walking ten times around it gives good karma, whereas doing it 108 times—sacred number for tibetans—leads directly to the nirvana, allowing you to be freed from the reincarnation cycle.

It is needless to say that the mountain is open to all and the kora can be done without any religious purpose relationship with religion. everyone has his reasons to

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walk around the Kailash mountain, whose summit has never been reached and the ascent is now forbidden by the Chinese authorities. most Westerners would go there for the challenging achievement, others would find it to be the ideal place to propose to their lady loves. Whereas just a few would come to revitalize themselves, forget the dazing hullabaloo of the mod-ern world and lose themselves in contact with impres-sive himalayan peaks. In any case, it is an exceptional and timeless trip, both in group and personal, that lets you rise above life…

lou Camino

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your CoNCIerge’s reCommeNDAtIoNon the “roof of the World” at an altitude of 3,600 meters, facing the mythical potala palace, proudly stands the st. regis lhasa resort•. This first interna-tional luxury hotel in the Autonomous region of tibet is characterized by its unique setting, the landscape surrounding the hotel offers a seductive and time-less framework, to contemplate and explore. the 162 rooms, villas and suites offer a quiet and cozy atmos-phere. the Asian-inspired, decor is elegant and time-less. For more information, or reservations, please contact the uuu private Concierge service.

• be careful, the access to tibet is regulated by China and the license’s delivery may be temporarily sus-pended at any time. For further information contact the uuu private Concierge.

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