May 18 welcomes the 40th “International Museum Day” and also marks the second anniversary of the opening of Tibet Yake Museum, the first yak-themed museum in the world.

In the last two years the yak museum has welcomed more than 100,000 people from home and abroad, making it a cultural landmark of snow plateau.

Liao Xinhua, a visitor from Hebei Province who didn’t know much about yaks before, described the exhibition as “an eye-opener”.

Why build this museum? On the museum's wall there are two sentences that explain the relationship between Tibetan people and yak. One is the tenth Panchen Lama’s evaluation that “there are no Tibetan people without yaks”; the other is the Tibetan folk proverb “wherever there are Tibetan people there are yaks”, which reflects the geographical distribution relationship between yaks and Tibetans.

Wu Yuchu, curator of the museum, said: “yaks are treasures of the plateau and have lived hand in hand with Tibetan people for thousands of years. They have helped Tibetan people with food, shelter, transportation, burning and plowing, and been involved in plateau politics, education, business, fighting, entertainment, medicine and arts. Yak has become a unique symbol of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.”

Tashi Phuntsok, a staff member at the museum, said that, since the museum opened there has been a steady stream of visitors, especially in peak tourist season. Every guide’s voice is hoarse from talking so much, but seeing so many people enjoying yak culture gives them a great sense of accomplishment.