During the National Day holiday, droves of tourists visited the Shangri-La Thangka Center, also Shangri-La Association for the Protection of Ethnic Cultural Heritages, for the art of Thangka painting.

Lying on the ancient tea-horse road, Shangri-La has rich and diverse ethnic cultures and the center is committed to protecting and promoting local ethnic cultures, said Zhaba Gedan, founder of the center.

Reporting by Gao Jianping; trans-editing by Wang Shixue