In recent years, however, the doors have opened to allow the rest of the world a glimpse of this hidden culture. Tibetans are a people of one race, culture, language, religion, and lifestyle. They are primarily farmers and nomadic herdsmen, with only a small number living in cities. Lhasa, Tibet's capital, is located in the Indus Valley and is the center for most of their farming. Most of the people living in Tibet share a common origin, language, and religion.
Family life is also a strong cord within the Tibetan culture.
Most Tibetans live as nomadic herders of yak, goats, and sheep. These families live in communes and continually move from pasture to pasture, living in yak-skin tents. Those who live in or near cities usually have two-story stone houses, the bottom floor being occupied by their livestock. City-dwellers practice ancient crafts, producing paper, fiber and wool weaving, metalwork, and woodcarvings. A growing number of Tibetans now live in state communes located in the mountains, where forestry is their chief resource.