A view of the high life

Using only a mobile phone camera, a film crew captures not only the unique lifestyles of the Tibetan residents in one of the world's highest altitude villages, but also its stunning natural beauty, Fang Aiqing reports.

To celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year, which fell on Feb 21, residents of Tuiwa, one of the highest villages in the world with an altitude of 5,070 meters, gathered at the frozen Puma Yumco Lake, in the dim light of dawn to cut through the ice and scoop the first ladle of its holy water, while praying for good fortune in the coming year.

Then, they joined hands, forming a circle to sing and dance.

A group of young filmmakers were on hand in the village, located in Nakarze county of Lhokha city, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, to record the scenes of traditional celebration and the villagers' reverence for nature with smartphones.

The 5-minute short film, Before the Snow Melts, depicts the landscape and culture of the rural village from the perspective, and through the narration, of a Tibetan young woman, Pema Yangjen.

It features her and a childhood companion collecting water from the holy lake, the aforementioned new year celebration, and her free dance against the backdrop of a grand natural scene in which she is at one with the mountain, lake and the wilderness, with flocks of sheep nearby and eagles soaring overhead.