Each summer, people return to Huangnan for the annual June Festival, a major ritual and dance gathering among Tibetan and Tu communities in the Rebgong region. Traditional dances, offerings, bonfires, and acts of physical devotion bring families and villages together.
Seen from the outside, some rituals can appear unfamiliar or even startling. Standing beside the people taking part, I experienced something different: devotion, reunion, and a shared commitment to continue what generations before them had practiced. In a time when work and migration often carry people away from home, the festival continues to create a reason to gather again.
