Nyemo County, Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Wolfsbane field
2. Various of Tibetan paper maker digging wolfsbane
3. Tibetan paper maker holding wolfsbane
4. Various of Tibetan paper makers peeling away root of wolfsbane
5. Tibetan paper
6. SOUNDBITE (Tibetan, dubbed with English) Ciren Dorje, Tibetan paper maker:
"It [The skill] is very precious. For me, my grandpa, father, myself and my sons are all Tibetan paper makers. Four generations of people have been continuing making Tibetan paper."
7. Various of Dorje's son Puqiong making Tibetan paper
8. SOUNDBITE (Tibetan, dubbed with English) Puqiong, Tibetan paper maker:
"To make one piece of paper, there are 12 different steps starting from digging wolfsbane. One person can only make one sheet a day."
9. Various of Dorje showing reporter Tibetan paper, water-proof feature of paper
10. Various of Dorje writing on Tibetan paper

Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Various of tourists

Nyemo County, Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
12. SOUNDBITE (Tibetan, dubbed with English) Ciren Dorje, Tibetan paper maker:
"I still worry that the Tibetan paper making skill may fade. If we could open a shop in Lhasa, people could see Tibetan paper with their own eyes, they can recommend it to others and that will help promote Tibetan paper."
13. Puqiong showing reporter Tibetan paper

Qubu Village, Xainza County, Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
14. Various of man making traditional bazaar clothing
15. Traditional bazaar clothing
16. SOUNDBITE (Tibetan, dubbed with English) Dunba, official, Qubu Village:
"Bazaar costume has a history of thousands of years. It is one of the precious cultural heritages of national costume. The government and the people attach great importance to rescuing and protecting this culture."

Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
17. Various of locals dancing

Tibetan paper making has a history of over 1,000 years and is passed down through generations. But some worry the skill may fade if efforts are not made to preserve it.

Ciren Dorje, a Tibetan paper maker, told CGTN that the paper making process begins with peeling away the root of a poisonous plant called wolfsbane and the end result is an ancient kind of Tibetan paper.

"It [The skill] is very precious. For me, my grandpa, father, myself and my sons are all Tibetan paper makers. Four generations of people have been continuing making Tibetan paper," Dorje said.

His son, Puqiong, is carrying on the family tradition in Nyemo County, Tibet. He said after the root is turned into a paste and watered down, it is ladled into a homemade mold.

"To make one piece of paper, there are 12 different steps starting from digging wolfsbane. One person can only make one sheet a day," Puqiong said.

One sheet of the paper sells for a little more than 100 yuan or about 15 U.S. dollars. It has a cloth feel to it. It can withstand water and bug infestations and last a long, long time. Dorje said the more ornate paper is used to copy holy scripts – some hung in local temples.

The father wants to open a shop his son could run in the city of Lhasa - a few hours away from the county - creating a more lucrative market.

"I still worry that the Tibetan paper making skill may fade. If we could open a shop in Lhasa, people could see Tibetan paper with their own eyes, they can recommend it to others and that will help promote Tibetan paper," Dorje said.

It is hard to imagine something so delicate could be lost to the ages. But Tibetan culture is more than a thin sheet of paper --- lots more. In rural Xainza County of Tibet, locals make traditional bazaar clothing which is on the cultural heritage protection list in Tibet.

"Bazaar costume has a history of thousands of years. It is one of the precious cultural heritages of national costume. The government and the people attach great importance to rescuing and protecting this culture," said Dunba, an official of Qubu Village.

From clothes to paper, to dance, Tibet boasts a rich history, and the local people desire to stay in step with the future while keeping one foot firmly rooted in the past.