Litang: Grass on the mountain
At an altitude of 4014 meters, Litang, a town in the former Kham Region of Tibet, is one of the highest towns in the world. Situated on open grassland and surrounded by snow-capped mountains, Litang has for centuries operated as a trading post for nomads. Yet its spiritual roots run deep: it is the birthplace of both the 7th and 10th Dalai Lama, and is home to the Ganden Thubchen Choekhorling Monastery, a seminary and lamasery built over 400 years ago.
Litang’s remote beauty belies a tumultuou history; throughout generations, its influence has been contested by Lhasa in the West, and Beijing in the East. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway now cuts through the center of town, bringing in a hardy mix of Han Chinese migrant workers along with nomadic Khampa cowboys, and the poilice whom must keep the uneasy peace between the two. As I explored the renovation of the Ganden Thubchen Choekhorling Monastery which was burned to the ground years prior, I noticed that like the monastery itself, Litang is undergoing a period of reconstruction, influenced by the growing presence of Han Chinese. Many of the photos from this series document the restoration of the monastery, a symbol full of spiritual as well as cultural meaning to those who call Litang home.
