Tibet is silent as Dalai Lama turns 90, BBC finds

[ad_1] Laura Bicker China correspondent

Reporting from Aba, Sichuan province <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/923f/live/476f53b0-576f-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/923f/live/476f53b0-576f-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/923f/live/476f53b0-576f-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/923f/live/476f53b0-576f-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/923f/live/476f53b0-576f-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/923f/live/476f53b0-576f-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/923f/live/476f53b0-576f-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/923f/live/476f53b0-576f-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC Three monks stand in a row in red robes talking among themselves, their faces truned away from the camera " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC The BBC visited the Kirti monastery in Aba, which has lengthy been the center of Tibetan resistance to Beijing

Shrouded in crimson robes, prayer beads shifting rhythmically previous his fingers, the monk walks in direction of us.

It's a dangerous choice.

We're being adopted by eight unidentified males. Even saying a number of phrases to us in public may get him in bother.

However he seems prepared to take the possibility. "Issues right here will not be good for us," he says quietly.

This monastery in China's south-western Sichuan province has been on the centre of Tibetan resistance for many years - the world realized the identify in the late 2000s as Tibetans set themselves on fire there in defiance of Chinese language rule. Almost 20 years later, there are indicators the Kirti monastery nonetheless worries Beijing.

A police station has been constructed inside the principle entrance. It sits alongside a small darkish room stuffed with prayer wheels which squeak as they spin. Nests of surveillance cameras on thick metal poles encompass the compound, scanning each nook.

"They don't have coronary heart; everybody can see it," the monk provides. Then comes a warning. "Watch out, individuals are watching you."

As the boys tailing us come working, the monk walks away.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/7479/live/5d5757d0-572f-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/7479/live/5d5757d0-572f-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7479/live/5d5757d0-572f-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/7479/live/5d5757d0-572f-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/7479/live/5d5757d0-572f-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/7479/live/5d5757d0-572f-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/7479/live/5d5757d0-572f-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7479/live/5d5757d0-572f-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC A woman walks past colourful prayer wheels depicting murals from the Buddha's life inside the Kirti monastery " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC Prayer wheels depict wealthy murals from the Buddha's life contained in the monastery

"They" are the Communist Occasion of China, which has now ruled greater than six million Tibetans for nearly 75 years, ever because it annexed the area in 1950.

China has invested closely within the area, constructing new roads and railways to spice up tourism and combine it with the remainder of the nation. Tibetans who've fled say financial growth additionally introduced extra troops and officers, chipping away at their religion and freedoms.

Beijing views Tibet as an integral a part of China. It has labelled Tibet's exiled religious chief, the Dalai Lama, as a separatist, and people who show his picture or supply him public help may find yourself behind bars.

Nonetheless, some in Aba, or Ngaba in Tibetan, which is residence to the Kirti monastery, have gone to excessive measures to problem these restrictions.

The city sits exterior what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Area (TAR), created in 1965, comprising about half of the Tibetan plateau. However thousands and thousands of Tibetans reside exterior of TAR - and think about the remainder as a part of their homeland.

Aba has lengthy performed a vital function. Protests erupted right here through the Tibet-wide rebellion of 2008 after, by some accounts, a monk held up a photograph of the Dalai Lama contained in the Kirti monastery. It will definitely escalated right into a riot and Chinese language troops opened fireplace. Not less than 18 Tibetans had been killed on this tiny city.

As Tibet rose up in protest, it typically became violent clashes with Chinese language paramilitary. Beijing claims 22 individuals died, whereas Tibetan teams in exile put the quantity at round 200.

Within the years that adopted there have been greater than 150 self-immolations calling for the return of the Dalai Lama - most of them occurred in or round Aba. It earned the principle avenue a grim moniker: Martyr's row.

China has cracked down more durable since, making it almost not possible to find out what is occurring in Tibet or Tibetan areas. The knowledge that does emerge comes from those that have fled overseas, or the government-in-exile in India.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/4a37/live/50bb6330-5730-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/4a37/live/50bb6330-5730-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4a37/live/50bb6330-5730-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/4a37/live/50bb6330-5730-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/4a37/live/50bb6330-5730-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/4a37/live/50bb6330-5730-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/4a37/live/50bb6330-5730-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4a37/live/50bb6330-5730-11f0-960d-e9f1088a89fe.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC A red-robed monk walks past the gates to a monastery in Aba " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC Tibetan monasteries are intently surveilled due to the affect they nonetheless wield

To search out out a bit extra, we returned to the monastery the subsequent day earlier than daybreak. We snuck previous our minders and hiked our approach again to Aba for the morning prayers.

The monks gathered of their yellow hats, an emblem of the Gelug college of Buddhism. Low sonorous chanting resonated by means of the corridor as ritual smoke lingered within the nonetheless, humid air. Round 30 native women and men, most in conventional Tibetan long-sleeved jackets, sat cross-legged till a small bell chimed to finish the prayer.

"The Chinese language authorities has poisoned the air in Tibet. It's not authorities," one monk advised us.

"We Tibetans are denied fundamental human rights. The Chinese language authorities continues to oppress and persecute us. It's not a authorities that serves the individuals."

He gave no particulars, and our conversations had been transient to keep away from detection. Nonetheless, it's uncommon to listen to these voices.

The query of Tibet's future has taken on urgency with the Dalai Lama turning 90 this week. Lots of of followers have been gathering within the Indian city of Dharamshala to honour him. He announced the much-anticipated succession plan on Wednesday, reaffirming what he has stated earlier than: the subsequent Dalai Lama can be chosen after his loss of life.

Tibetans in every single place have reacted - with reduction, doubt or nervousness - however not these within the Dalai Lama's homeland, the place even the whisper of his identify is forbidden.

Beijing has spoken loud and clear: the subsequent reincarnation of the Dalai Lama will probably be in China, and authorised by the Chinese language Communist Occasion. Tibet, nonetheless, has been silent.

"That is simply the way in which it's," the monk advised us. "That is the truth."

Two worlds underneath one sky

The street to Aba winds slowly for almost 500km (300 miles) from the Sichuan capital of Chengdu.

It passes by means of the snow-packed peaks of Siguniang Mountain earlier than it reaches the rolling grassland on the fringe of the Himalayan plateau.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/1f6a/live/f99cb990-5730-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/1f6a/live/f99cb990-5730-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1f6a/live/f99cb990-5730-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/1f6a/live/f99cb990-5730-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/1f6a/live/f99cb990-5730-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/1f6a/live/f99cb990-5730-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/1f6a/live/f99cb990-5730-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1f6a/live/f99cb990-5730-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC Young Tibetan monks - one on horseback, one on the ground - on the grasslands, herding cattle " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC En path to Aba on the sting of the Tibetan plateau...

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/cc62/live/ec88eaf0-5733-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/cc62/live/ec88eaf0-5733-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/cc62/live/ec88eaf0-5733-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/cc62/live/ec88eaf0-5733-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/cc62/live/ec88eaf0-5733-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/cc62/live/ec88eaf0-5733-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/cc62/live/ec88eaf0-5733-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/cc62/live/ec88eaf0-5733-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC Young monks walk pastm covering their hard from the sharp sun " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC the place the high-altitude daylight is especially harsh

The gold, sloping rooftops of Buddhist temples shimmer each few miles as they catch particularly sharp daylight. That is the roof of the world the place visitors provides strategy to yak herders on horseback whistling to reluctant, grunting cattle, as eagles circle above.

There are two worlds beneath this Himalayan sky, the place heritage and religion have collided with the Occasion's demand for unity and management.

China has lengthy maintained that Tibetans are free to practise their religion. However that religion can be the supply of a centuries-old id, which human rights teams say Beijing is slowly eroding.

They declare that numerous Tibetans have been detained for staging peaceable protests, selling the Tibetan language, and even possessing a portrait of the Dalai Lama.

Many Tibetans, inlcuding some we spoke to throughout the Kirti monastery, are involved about new legal guidelines governing the schooling of Tibetan kids.

All under-18s should now attend Chinese language state-run colleges and be taught Mandarin. They can't research Buddhist scriptures in a monastery class till they're 18 years previous - they usually should "love the nation and the faith and observe nationwide legal guidelines and laws".

This can be a enormous change for a group the place monks had been typically recruited as kids, and monasteries doubled up as colleges for many boys.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/4b74/live/5a574c50-5731-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/4b74/live/5a574c50-5731-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4b74/live/5a574c50-5731-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/4b74/live/5a574c50-5731-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/4b74/live/5a574c50-5731-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/4b74/live/5a574c50-5731-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/4b74/live/5a574c50-5731-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4b74/live/5a574c50-5731-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC The Chinese national flag above the Kirti monastery " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC The Chinese language nationwide flag above the Kirti monastery: the Occasion's ambitions have clashed with the Tibetan religion, which underpins their id

"One of many close by Buddhist establishments was torn down by the federal government a number of months in the past," a monk in his 60s advised us in Aba, from underneath an umbrella as he walked to prayers within the rain.

"It was a preaching college," he added, turning into emotional.

The brand new guidelines observe a 2021 order for all colleges in Tibetan areas, together with kindergartens, to show within the Chinese language language. Beijing says this provides Tibetan kids a greater shot at jobs in a rustic the place the principle language is Mandarin.

However such laws may have a "profound impact" on the way forward for Tibetan Buddhism, in accordance with famend scholar Robert Barnett.

"We're shifting to a situation of the Chinese language chief Xi Jinping having whole management - in direction of an period of little info stepping into Tibet, little Tibetan language being shared," Mr Barnett says.

"Education will virtually fully be about Chinese language festivals, Chinese language virtues, superior Chinese language conventional tradition. We're wanting on the full administration of mental enter."

The street to Aba reveals off the cash Beijing has pumped into this distant nook of the world. A brand new high-speed railway line hugs the hills linking Sichuan to different provinces on the plateau.

In Aba, the same old high-street store fronts promoting monks' robes and bundles of incense are joined by new lodges, cafes and eating places to entice vacationers.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/7399/live/e660f2e0-5732-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/7399/live/e660f2e0-5732-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7399/live/e660f2e0-5732-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/7399/live/e660f2e0-5732-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/7399/live/e660f2e0-5732-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/7399/live/e660f2e0-5732-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/7399/live/e660f2e0-5732-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7399/live/e660f2e0-5732-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC Monks and other on a road leading to the Kirti monastery. Parked cars flank the road." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC Aba's historical monasteries are actually drawing extra Chinese language vacationers

"How do they get something accomplished all day?" one vacationer wonders aloud. Others flip the prayer wheels excitedly and ask in regards to the wealthy, vibrant murals depicting scenes from the Buddha's life.

A celebration slogan written on the roadside boasts that "individuals of all ethnic teams are united as intently as seeds in a pomegranate".

However it's onerous to overlook the pervasive surveillance.

A resort check-in requires facial recognition. Even shopping for petrol requires a number of types of identification that are proven to high-definition cameras. China has lengthy managed what info its residents have entry to - however in Tibetan areas, the grip is even tighter.

Tibetans, Mr Barnett says, are "locked off from the skin world".

The 'proper' successor

It is onerous to say what number of of them know in regards to the Dalai Lama's announcement on Wednesday - broadcast to the world, it was censored in China.

Residing in exile in India since 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama has advocated for extra autonomy, moderately than full independence, for his homeland. Beijing believes he "has no proper to characterize the Tibetan individuals".

He handed over political authority in 2011 to a government-in-exile chosen democratically by 130,000 Tibetans globally - and that authorities has had back-channel talks this yr with China in regards to the succession plan, however it's unclear if they've progressed.

The Dalai Lama has beforehand advised that his successor can be from "the free world", that's, exterior China. On Wednesday, he stated "nobody else has any authority to intrude".

This units the stage for a confrontation with Beijing, which has stated the method ought to "observe spiritual rituals and historic customs, and be dealt with in accordance with nationwide legal guidelines and laws".

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/3f0c/live/935fa440-5734-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/3f0c/live/935fa440-5734-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/3f0c/live/935fa440-5734-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/3f0c/live/935fa440-5734-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/3f0c/live/935fa440-5734-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/3f0c/live/935fa440-5734-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/3f0c/live/935fa440-5734-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/3f0c/live/935fa440-5734-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC A monk walking down a street " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC Tibetans in China have very restricted entry to info - particularly if it has to do with the Dalai Lama

Beijing is already doing the groundwork to persuade the Tibetans, Mr Barnett says.

"There's already an enormous propaganda equipment in place. The Occasion has been sending groups to workplaces, colleges and villages to show individuals in regards to the 'new laws' for selecting a Dalai Lama."

When the Panchen Lama, the second highest authority in Tibetan Buddhism, died in 1989, the Dalai Lama recognized a successor to that submit in Tibet. However the little one disappeared. Beijing was accused of kidnapping him, though it insists that boy, now an grownup, is protected. It then authorised a distinct Panchen Lama, who Tibetans exterior China don't recognise.

If there are two Dalai Lamas, it may develop into a take a look at of China's powers of persuasion. Which one will the world recognise? Extra vital, would most Tibetans in China even know of the opposite Dalai Lama?

China needs a reputable successor - however maybe nobody too credible.

As a result of, Mr Barnett says, Beijing "needs to show the lion of Tibetan tradition right into a poodle".

"It needs to take away issues it perceives as dangerous and exchange them with issues it believes Tibetans should be desirous about; patriotism, loyalty, fealty. They just like the singing and dancing – the Disney model of Tibetan tradition."

"We do not understand how a lot will survive," Mr Barnett concludes.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/b6d8/live/60264790-5735-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/b6d8/live/60264790-5735-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/b6d8/live/60264790-5735-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/b6d8/live/60264790-5735-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/b6d8/live/60264790-5735-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/b6d8/live/60264790-5735-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/b6d8/live/60264790-5735-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/b6d8/live/60264790-5735-11f0-804c-b585e3f5213e.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC A monk inside a monastery whose walls are covered in murals in rich reds. " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC Many Tibetans consider their lifestyle is being eroded by Chinese language management...

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/984a/live/6e4b7ed0-5735-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/984a/live/6e4b7ed0-5735-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/984a/live/6e4b7ed0-5735-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/984a/live/6e4b7ed0-5735-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/984a/live/6e4b7ed0-5735-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/984a/live/6e4b7ed0-5735-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/984a/live/6e4b7ed0-5735-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/984a/live/6e4b7ed0-5735-11f0-9074-8989d8c97d87.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Xiqing Wang/ BBC Tibetan women sit by a prayer wheel inside a monastery" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Xiqing Wang/ BBC regardless of all their efforts to carry on to it

As we go away the monastery, a line of ladies carrying heavy baskets stuffed with instruments for building or farming stroll by means of the room of prayer wheels, spinning them clockwise.