In most people’s eyes, Tibetan Buddhism is the only religious belief held by the people in Tibet. But in Upper Yanjing Village, Mangkang County, Chamdo Prefecture, eastern Tibet, it is not Sakyamuni who is worshipped, it is Jesus Christ.
The Yanjing Catholic Church, built in 1865 by French missionaries, is the only one of its kind in Tibet and covers an area of 6,000 sq m.
Undated photo shows the inside of the Yanjing Catholic Church, Upper Yanjing Village, Mangkang County, Chamdo Prefecture, eastern Tibet, photo from People’s Daily Online.
The church, a rare combination of Western and Tibetan architectural styles, has a typical Gothic vault and frescoes featuring the contents of Bible on the ceiling in the inside, but looks like a common Tibetan-style residence in the outside.
In addition to the images of Jesus and Virgin Mary, the church is decorated by red lanterns and white hada, a symbol of purity and happiness in the Tibetan custom.
The 1,000 residents of Upper Yangjing Village constitute the main body of the believers of the church.
Catholics in the village still regard the Tibetan New Year’s Day as the start for a new year; missionaries are dressed in Tibetan-style clothes; and the Catholic followers use the world’s only Tibetan-edition of Bible.
Undated photo shows the outside of the Yanjing Catholic Church, Upper Yanjing Village, Mangkang County, Chamdo Prefecture, eastern Tibet, photo from tibet.cn.
During Western festivals like Christmas, the church will invite Catholics from neighboring provinces and abbots of local Tibetan monasteries to join the get-together party. 
On the occasion of the Religious Dance Festival of Tibetan Buddhism, priests and Catholics will also be invited to appreciate the religious dance to mark the festival.
Yanjing Village is divided by a ditch into two parts, with one called Upper Yanjing Village and the other, Lower Yanjing Village.
Residents in Lower Yanjing Village are Naxi people who believe in Tibetan Buddhism, while residents in Upper Yanjing Village are indigenous Tibetans who believe in Catholicism.
