By Stephanie Chang on December 3, 2016

Have you ever heard of Larung Gar? This small, remote village is “the kind of place where you have to pinch yourself to believe you’re not dreaming.”

If you’re unfamiliar with Larung Gar, it may be because the small, remote town located in a far-flung corner of China has largely stayed out of the tourism spotlight. It is, however, a cultural and historical Tibetan treasure that has been undergoing tremendous changes in the past few decades, particularly in the midst of global controversy between Tibet and China.

Standing as the largest Buddhist settlement in the world, the town in Sichuan is primarily home to monks and nuns studying and living there; the renowned Larung Five Sciences Buddhist Academy is believed to be the largest religious institute in the world. Photographer Marco Grassi recently traveled to this beautiful and sacred destination to provide outsiders a look into this magnificent and seemingly isolated town through his lens. […]

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