Yellow Hat monks chanting before a prayer session at Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, China.

Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in central China that were closed or disrupted two years ago due to conflicts with the government in Beijing are functioning with apparent normalcy this month.

The Idiot took an odyssey to numerous lamaseries and temples in Xiahe, Tongren and Xining – three cities located in different Chinese provinces outside the Tibet Autonomous Region – that are members of the Gelugpa, or Yellow Hat, Buddhist faction. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Yellow Hats and the group has managed to survive a variety of atrocities and difficulties, from their leader’s exile and the Cultural Revolution to recent protests and riots, during the past fifty years.

What does “apparent normalcy” look like in 2010?

The Idiot captured these shots of monastic life.

Buddhists spin hundreds of prayer wheels as they perambulate Labrang Monastery.

Recess in the rain for Buddhist monks/students at Labrang Monastery.

Monks walking in a rapeseed field near Labrang Monastery.

Monks from Labrang Monastery on an outing in downtown Xiahe.

A picture-taking monk outside Longwu Monastery in Tongren.

Monks spinning yarn(s) at Longwu Monastery.

Young monks scampering on scaffolding at Longwu Monastery.

Thangkas being painted at Wu Tun Si monastery in Xining.

Latest sunglass style at Ta’er Si Monastery in Xining.

Unlike in Tibet, there is no overwhelming police or military presence obviously visible in the vicinity of the monasteries.

Photos and Text: Joel Stratte-McClure

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About Joel

Joel Stratte-McClure has been a global trekker since the 1970s. He lived in France for over 30 years, working as a journalist, before he turned his attention to a unique life-time-project of walking the shores of the Mediterranean. The first 4,401 kilometers are explored in his inspirational and entertaining first book "The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean." The next 4,401 kilometers are covered in the gods-filled sequel, "The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean,” published on Valentine's Day 2013. The last 4,401 kilometers will be discussed in the last book of the trilogy currently entitled "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."