Basil Pao began his photographic career in 1980 on his return to Hong Kong after ten years in the United States, where he was art director for recording companies Atlantic and Polygram in New York and Warner Brothers Records in Los Angeles. His work during that time included the book for the Monty Python film Life of Brian, where he first worked with Michael Palin. They have since collaborated on ten illustrated books based on the BBC travel series Pole to Pole, Full Circle, Hemingway Adventure, Sahara, Himalaya and New Europe. He is the author of Hands, China Revealed and most recently, Yi'Jing-Book of Changes, which accompanied his The Great Walls of China Series exhibition. He has also created the limited editions AMAN, Bhutan and AMAN2 for Amanresorts, and OM-Ordinary Moments, CMYK - China and Shan Shui for Printer Trento. Basil's travel essays and other assignments, including his photography for Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor and Little Buddha, have appeared in publications and exhibitions all over the world.