Prayer Flags on the Steppe
Western China, where this photo was shot, is inhabited by devout Buddhists. The rolling hills and prairies of the steppelands are sprinkled with prayer flags. Sometimes the flags are strung over a lone yak hair tent. Sometimes they glitter in the bright sunlight atop a high hill. And sometimes they are a bright outline of color against the verdant grasslands as these are.
Who erected these pyramids of faith? No settlements were nearby. Perhaps there had been a celebration of a holy day and the flags were all that remained. Now and then we would drive by groups of tents where nomads were grazing their livestock. Perhaps groups of nomads were responsible for erecting or refreshing a tattered prayer flag monument. Perhaps it is a form of devotion done whenever possible.