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Xizang snapshots: Portraits and pursuits

Culture 16:35, 24-May-2026

CGTN

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A barista at the Hima Hima Art Cafe in Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 21, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

A civil servant from Qamdo at Ranwu Lake in Baxoi County, Qamdo, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 15, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

A civil servant from Yunnan at Ranwu Lake in Baxoi County, Qamdo, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 17, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

A lab technician at a company that makes Tibetan medicine in Ritong Township, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 15, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

A pharmacy clerk holds up Tibetan medicine made by her hospital in Ritong Township, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 15, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

A tour guide at the Nujiang River Bridge Museum in Baxoi County, Qamdo, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 16, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

A villager carries her baby by Ranwu Lake in Baxoi County, Qamdo, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 17, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

Monk Rinzin Norbu at Qingduo Monastery in Bomi County, Nyingchi, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 18, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

Residents chat in the courtyard of a local Tibetan hospital in Ritong Township, Xizang Autonomous Region, China, May 15, 2026. Li Jian/CGTN

A CGTN reporting team embarked on a journey across western Xizang recently, traveling from Qamdo to Lhasa to retrace the route of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) 18th Army, which arrived three-quarters of a century ago in 1951, first for liberation and then to construct a modern Xizang.

Along the way, the team captured portraits of people from all walks of life. While most of them were of Tibetan ethnicity, many are also migrants who had left home to work in Xizang. According to census data, migrant populations now make up more than 10% of the total population in Xizang.

These faces feature traditional occupations like farmers, herders, and monks, alongside a new generation of pursuits favored by young people, such as civil servants, pharmacists and baristas. Together, they represent the dynamic makeup of the people in today's Xizang, a place that has changed so much and is set to change even more.