Both Larung Gar and Yarchen Gar (Gar translates as “camp”) have remained largely hidden from the outside world, as much because of geography as the tight controls on freedom of movement put in place by the government. Both sit at elevations of more than 4000 metres, sunk deep into hidden valleys of the Hengduan mountain range that cuts across China’s south-western Sichuan province.
Both camps are part of what is known as the Garze Semi Autonomous Prefecture, where 77 per cent of the inhabitants – some 800,000 people – claim ethnic Tibetan heritage. As in the similarly named Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), the people’s future has long been out of their own hands.
