Tibetan villagers wait to receive New Year Festival couplets made by a Tibetan calligrapher at Dongkar, a township in the Samdrubtse district of Shigatse, on Friday. [Photo by PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY]

Residents put on performances to celebrate the Sonam Losar New Year in Shigatse, the Tibet autonomous region, on Jan 17, 2020. [Photo by PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY]

In the days leading up to the twoweek-long Sonam Losar New Year Festival, which starts on Friday, residents of Shigatse, in the Tibet autonomous region, are busy shopping at the New Year goods market. [Photo by PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY]