Shangri-La

Loading…
Chamadao, Ganze Nunnery Festival. Picnic and dancing presided over by Langdak Rinpoche and daughter Wong Mo
Nuns study scriptures at a nunnery in Gandze. The books are hand-made in nearby Dege Parkhang.
A Buddhist nun, who has renounced all worldly things, is anointed in Gandze.
Buddhist nuns at Shusong Nunnery in Benzilan, study ancient texts.
Lamdark Girl's School, 90 orphans live here, Director Danzen Drolma.
A monk in Gandze prepares the traditional flatbread of Central Tibet, called Balep Korkun. It is cooked on a griddle and made...
Shechen Monastery Tea making for 400 monks. 3 times per month the monastery school makes yak butter tea and serves tsampa bre...
Monks at Gandze Monastery, the most important in Kham, prepare yak butter tea for the 370 monks living there. The black brick...
Young Monks are up early to help serve the traditional rice and tea breakfast for the monks at Gandze Monastery.
Lunch times in monasteries are far from somber, as monks of all ages devour a simple meal of yak stew.
Wood, which will fuel the stoves and warm the rooms of the monasteries, is a precious commodity on the Tibetan Plateau.
A young monk carries water from a mountain stream back to the Shechen Monastery. The master monk here was once a teacher of t...
Chamadao, Shechen Monastery, Ling Gesar Festival, held for the first time. Ling Gesar is the father of Tibet, who united all ...
Monks at Shechen Monastery prepare for the annual reenactment of the epic story of Ling Gesar, the feather of Tibet. The lege...
The Ling Gesar Festival is a time for high spirits and celebration among the Shechen Monks and the many locals who attend.
Waiting in the wings, a monk in warrior costume awaits his cue for the call to battle at the Ling Gesar reenactment, which is...
Since all roles, even female ones, are played by Shechen Monks, these "maidens" bringing offerings of Kata (ceremonial prayer...
There is always time for a butter tea break, even between acts of the Ling Gesar Festival reenactment.
A procession of Ling Gesar's warrior generals heads into battle adorned in elaborate hand-made costumes and headdresses.
A procession of Ling Gesar's warrior generals heads into battle adorned in elaborate hand-made costumes and headdresses.
Through ritualized dances depicting battles on horseback, the forces of Ling Gesar gallop toward their enemies.
In addition to dramatizing the Ling Gesar Epic, monks of all ages also perform traditional Tibetan dances at the festival.
Male monks who portray women in the epic wear floral headdresses and jewelry made of coral and silver. In Tibetan culture, je...
Local girls, wearing hair ornaments of amber and coral, are absorbed in the action on the Field-A depiction of the legendary ...
A touch of the 21st century: Shechen Monks record the historical action for posterity.
In a contest of good versus evil, the mighty warrior King Gesar vanquishes his foe, who like bad guys everywhere, is dressed ...
In a contest of good versus evil, the mighty warrior King Gesar vanquishes his foe, who like bad guys everywhere, is dressed ...
Ling Gesar takes on another symbol of evil. The enemies portrayed during the festival may be humans or monsters, but it all c...
Halloween-masked monks portray the enemies of Tibet. Evil demons and monsters are depicted as skeletons.
Prayer flags in primary colors symbolizing the five elements offer protection for the newly constructed dormitories at Dege G...
The Parkhang Houses over 200,000 blocks engraved with Tibetan literature, history, medicine and religious writing, making it ...
At the Dege Parkhang books are made in the same way as they have been for almost 300 years, from blocks that are hand carved ...
Hand-carved wood blocks, which are inked with vermillion ground from the mineral cinnabar, must be cleaned after each use.
Printers working in pairs ink and then roll paper over the wood block engraved with text.
Printers working in pairs ink and then roll paper over the wood block engraved with text.
Master scholars proofread and assemble the pages by hand into bound books. Efforts are underway to help ensure that these anc...
There are no computerized filing systems or databases to streamline storage and filing at the Dege Parkhang; Rather each wood...
Chamadao, route 318. Zar Gamala pass with it's 180 switchbacks. Highest vertical climb in Tibet, from 1700 m to 4658m...........
Yaks are indispensible to the Tibetan Nomads, providing warmth and sustenance. Ideally adapted to the high altitudes and cold...
On virtually treeless Tibetan Plateau, yak dung is burned as fuel for heating and cooking. The job of dung collection falls t...
Women and youngsters take care of most of the domestic chores, which include sheep shearing. Sheep are almost as useful to th...
Women and youngsters take care of most of the domestic chores, which include sheep shearing. Sheep are almost as useful to th...
Nomad families spend the Summer months living together in yak-hair tents, grazing their animals and searching for the valuabl...
Vast tracts of grazing land near Qillan Mountain are home to the Shandan Army Ranch, which has operated here since the Chines...
An early snowstorm veils a herd of yaks grazing along the Yalong River.
An early snowstorm veils a herd of yaks grazing along the Yalong River.
A Nomad Cowbody, as sturdy and rugged as his mount, trains his horse for the Summer racing season.
Traditional black yak-hair tents have sheltered Nomad families for centuries from the harsh and unpredictable weather of the ...
Chamadao, Nomad family of 7 have traveled 20km from their home near Bamei to graze their yak on this rich summer grass. Have ...
Chamadao, Nomad family of 7 have traveled 20km from their home near Bamei to graze their yak on this rich summer grass. Have ...