Most are quite familiar with Tibet. The combination of legendary peaks, lakes, and high grasslands and a fabled Buddhist Lama society give Tibet a seemingly mythical status among world cultures. However, the Tibetan Autonomous Region itself is only part of the Tibetan cultural sphere. Enormous populations of Tibetans dominate the vast grasslands and rugged mountains of virtually all of western and northern Sichuan, most of northwestern Yunnan, as well as Qinghai and Gansu Provinces. The Tibetan Kham culture marks western Sichuan and Yunnan, while Tibetan Chamdo culture is prevalent in northern Sichuan. Opportunities to witness the changes being undertaken by Tibetan people and culture are plentiful throughout Sichuan and Yunnan. These changes are intriguing to say the least.