China's mountainous Sichuan province, with the capital Chengdu, is one of the most beautiful and fascinating provinces of China. Much of the area is ancient Tibetan territory (Kham and Amdo), where the Tibetan culture today live under better conditions than in the province of Tibet. This is because Tibetans here are less harassed by the Chinese authorities compared to Tibet. In fact, it is said that Sichuan today is a better place to experience Tibetan culture than in Tibet. The trip’s absolute highlight was a visit to the Buddhist Institute Larung Gar in Sertar (photos 44-70), where approximately 40,000 monks and nuns live side by side in a large mountain village at 4,000 meters altitude. The surroundings are fantastic with many monasteries and thousands of small red wooden houses nestled up the mountainsides. However, in the series are also photos from other locations in Sichuan, including from the mountain village Tagong and the surrounding area (photos 1-40), where life in the local monasteries is flourishing.