Tibetan images

A traditional Tibetan dance in Zhongdian, now known as Shangri-la, in Yunnan Province.-PHOTOGRAPHS: N. RAM

Tibet, like the rest of China, is on a roll. It offers rapid frame alternations of the new and the old, the modern and the traditional in a heady mixture of sensory experiences. Material prosperity, steady population growth, rises in living standards, education and skills training, and in general the process of modernisation, are transforming life, work and mindsets, especially of the young.

While Tibetan Buddhism remains a strong presence in the autonomous region (TAR) and in Tibetan autonomous areas in four provinces, rising China is very much in charge of future Tibet.