Tibetans in Nepal

Farmers work the fields high above the Nepalese-Chinese border.

Farmer Pema Tanang, 62, works the fields above Nepal’s border with China. Tibetans “used to come streaming across the border, but now the numbers are practically nil.”

Chinese government buildings can be seen across the Friendship Bridge connecting China and Nepal.

A Nepalese policeman stands guard at a border crossing between China and Tibet.

The Sun Kosi River runs along the border between Nepal and China and is a major obstacle for Tibetans trying to leave China.

Tibetan monk Jangpo lives at the Liping Monastery, perched high on a bluff over the customs checkpoint between Nepal and China. “When I came out, there were no cameras, checkpoints, no police,” said Jangpo, who crossed from Tibet as a teenager in the mid-90s in order to study Buddhism.

A woman prays at Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal.

A woman prostrates at the Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu.

The Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal, is a place of worship for Buddists. Tibetans used to swarm to Boudhanath during the Tibetan New Year with large photos of the Dalai Lama; such ceremonies are now held out of public view.