Talk the talk

Thubten Tsewang soon realized that proficiency in Mandarin was a crucial skill in the workplace. "I was clueless when my colleagues talked in Mandarin and I was unable to utter a complete sentence in Mandarin, which made me feel dumb and frustrated," he said.

Motivated by the belief that he could be the master of his own fate, Thubten Tsewang devoted all his efforts to learning Mandarin.

There were brief moments when self-doubt would creep in. "Tibetan and Mandarin are very different in grammar, pronunciation and syntax. Sometimes, I had to chase after my colleague who is fluent in Mandarin to get to the bottom of a question," he said. "It was a painstaking process, but giving up was not an option."

After three years of intensive study, Thubten Tsewang mastered Mandarin.

However, he was far away from being satisfied with his language skills.

Hilsa, the nearest Nepalese village to Burang, is less than 30 minutes' walk away and is home to about 160 households. The villagers, who sell handicrafts such as bowls and bracelets in the local market, get their groceries and construction materials from China.