Feb. 26, 2018 -- Prayer flags, the rectangular, colored cloth carrying messages of blessing, are found everywhere in the Tibet autonomous region－strung on the roofs of houses, in trees and along riversides and mountain ridges.

It is a custom for Tibetan families to replace the prayer flags on their roofs with new ones before sunrise on the second day of the Tibetan New Year (which began on Feb 16 this year), praying for a good harvest in the new year.

The dyed flags are sewn in a specific order on strings－blue, white, red, green and yellow－to represent, respectively, the five elements of sky, cloud, fire, water and earth. The prayer flags show the great reverence that Tibetans have for nature.

Palyang, a 31-year-old housewife from Dardrong town of Nyemo county－the main area for producing prayer flags－has worked as a flag sewer for nearly six years.

Leaving their hometown for work seems impossible for housewives like Palyang, since they assume daily household chores while their husbands are usually engaged with farm work.

The government of Nyemo county has encouraged local entrepreneurs to start flag workshops by offering them free land since 2011, where local residents can work in their spare time rather than leaving home for work.

"I can manage the chores and the work at the same time," Palyang said with a laugh. "Time is rather flexible here. I make flags here after I finish milking the cows and cooking meals for my family."

Palyang works with 32 others at a workshop opened in 2011 in Nyemo by a businessman named Galsang.