Tibetannet

They use their own bodies to measure the world and their faith to move the Buddha. Picture shows the pilgrims on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. [Photo/fo.ifeng.com]

In southwest China's Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu provinces, and Tibet Autonomous Region, every year many pious believers pay homage to Buddha in Lhasa with money saved throughout their lives despite being tied down by family and other life obligations Bearing pious aspirations in their heart, they make their way pace by pace, clasping hands in prayer and prostrating themselves onto the ground, rain or shine.

They take meals and sleep outside, enduring hardships and traveling from dawn until dusk. They bring bedding,highland barley powder, butter, tea, portable stoves, pressure cookers, buckets for water and oil, ventilators, and flashlights. They never go to restaurants, depending on roadside spring water and working hard with both hands to make butter tea and delicious tasmba (roasted highland barley flour).

The worshippers are as full of vigor as they are full of grace, never tiring in the pursuit of their goals. Ranging from a few months to several years, they trek ceaselessly tothe heaven in their heart. When they finally get to Lhasa's Jokhang Temple, the destination for both their souls and faith, they leave behind their footprints, which mark their struggle against the nature.

Pilgrims sleep in tents by the Ranwu Lake near the National Highway 318. (Photo/CRI)

Along the Maerkang section of the National Highway 317, a wedding ceremony takes place. (Photo/CRI)

Wherever and whenever one travels along the 2,000 kilometer Sichuan-Tibet Highway, pilgrims can be seen. Picture shows the pilgrims on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, [Photo/fo.ifeng.com]

These pilgrims are all rural Tibetans. Their destination is the Potala Palace in Lhasa. [Photo/fo.ifeng.com]

In their eyes, Potala Palace is a holy place a heaven, and a nirvana. They go there to observe her splendor.[Photo/fo.ifeng.com]

To realize this dream, many Tibetans can leave everything behind, taking only their bodies on the road as they start toward their heart's holy land.[Photo/fo.ifeng.com]

Pilgrims make pilgrimage together, passing through grassland, lakes, and the wilderness.