Nestled in the mighty Himalayas, Bhutan is the last remaining Himalayan kingdom—an oasis of innocence in our world. Here is a country that places environmental responsibility ahead of profits and material gain. Where a King, who lives in a cabin in the woods, decrees “Gross National Happiness” as the standard by which to measure the country’s wealth. The Land of the Thunder Dragon has much to offer the modern world. Some might even say Bhutan is just the prescription this world most desperately needs.

Yet the 21st century is seeping into Bhutan—or maybe bursting in is more like it. The internet now connects Bhutan to the best and worst of humanity. Satellite dishes bring the most negative aspects of the media to this once cloistered and innocent Kingdom. As it enters the mainstream of the 21st century, what will become of Bhutan’s traditional spiritual values of compassion, tolerance and wisdom?

With the recent introduction of television into Bhutan, it will only be the blink of an eye before their culture and its treasures are lost for all time. Imagine the last redwood forest, the last ocean whale. Imagine the last “Shangri-La”.

The Cultural Center of Bhutan, to be built in Thimpu Bhutan, is a highly focused endeavor that will help to preserve Bhutan's precious qualities before they are lost to the world forever.