At eight o’clock in the morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the biting cold of the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau, a group of elderly Mongolian pilgrims from Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner of Hinggan League, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, had already gathered at the gate of Tashilhunpo Monastery in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. They were waiting for it to open and preparing to begin their day of worship.

This senior travel group consists of over 100 individuals, with an average age of over 70 years. They traveled from various regions within Inner Mongolia, journeying together on a four-day train ride that spanned more than 5,000 kilometers, solely to fulfill a pilgrimage rooted in faith.