The drive to Tongren in Qinghai province is magical. One climbs though pastureland to the summit of the pass at 3,600m which is crowned with Tibetan prayer flags. The hills are green at this time of year. Tongren is a small town lying in the center of a beautiful valley, with swaying fields of long-haired wheat and potatoes. The slightly-eroded hillsides glow rich yellows and browns.
Trees shelter small Tibetan villages, each having a temple or monastery.
We spend two days in Tongren visiting small monasteries which are rich in thanks, sculptures and painting. Tongren has always been a center for the Tibetan arts and many skilled painters and sculptors live here and we will see some of these monks and lay artists in the afternoon we will go to two extraordinary folk festivals, rarely seen by foreigners, which take place in the monasteries. Harvest thanksgiving and male initiation are the two themes which have their roots in Bon, the ancient Tibetan religion. A shaman, who is in a trance for most of the time plays an important role. All day villagers bring offerings of bread, spirits and meat to the temple which is bedecked with bright khatas.