The Shoton Festival translates as the yogurt festival. It is held in the sixth month of the Tibetan calendar, when worshippers welcome Lamas leaving the temples after three months of meditation. This year, the celebration runs until the end of August. GUO TIANQI has more.
Summer is the most comfortable season on the Tibetan plateau.
A traditional picnic, known as Linka, is a common way for Tibetans to celebrate Shoton Festival.
And the Norbulingka garden is a popular site for Linka picnics in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet/Xizang Autonomous Region.
GUO TIANQI Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region "For hundreds of years, Norbulingka was the summer residence for Dalai Lamas. Today, it's a public garden for visitors and locals alike to enjoy in summer."
At this year's festival, teams from across the region have come to perform their own versions of Tibetan opera, which usually run for around six hours.
Tibetan opera dates back more than 600 years, and is included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
HUANG MIN Tourist "I think this tradition is pretty good, during the Shoton Festival, everyone has the opportunity to know about Tibetan opera. This needs to be maintained."
Huang is from Guangdong Province. This is her third visit to Xizang.
She says the local people are warm and welcoming to visitors from other parts of China.
HUANG MIN Tourist "I am accepted immediately. Everyone is so happy all the time, and the whole family are giving me food and traditional snacks. I feel very good."
DANZENG ZHUOGA Local Resident "I also have many friends who are Han people, and I feel there is no difference between Tibetan and Han Chinese. This time we brought our traditional yak butter tea, snacks, fruit, and homemade lunch. We planned to watch the Tibetan opera first, and then eat."
Picnics are a popular way of socialising in Tibet. They can last for a day or even several, allowing those taking part to enjoy the natural wonders around them. GUO TIANQI, CGTN, Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region.
