Hanging in There

With his horse trussed to the rope conveyor, a Tibetan rider in 1921 maneuvers hand over hand for a precarious crossing of the Mekong River.

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Photograph by A.L. Shelton
From National Geographic magazine, April 2002

A Wing and a Prayer

A 1950s-era MiG-15, grounded vestige of China’s recent past, attracts tourists at a Lhasa amusement park. The ancient Potala Palace, once Tibet’s seat of government, looms regally in the background.

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Photograph by Steve McCurry
From National Geographic magazine, April 2002