A young Tibetan monks plays with a pisto

XIAHE, CHINA: A young Tibetan monks plays with a pistol at the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, 22 February 2005, in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, on the remote fringes of the Tibetan plateau in western China's Gansu province. Built in 1709, the Labrang Monastery is one of the six great Monastic centers of Tibetan Buddhism and escaped desecration during the Cultural Revolution but the number of monks and nuns was reduced from 4,000 to 1,000. Thousands of Tibetan pilgrims and nomads have made their way to Xiahe and its Labrang Monastery for the annual Monlam (Great Prayer) Festival, one of the religion's most important celebrations in an area which Tibetans traditionally called Amdo. AFP PHOTO/Frederic J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)