On Feb. 18 before the sun rose, kitchen smoke curled up from the chimney of Pemacao's house. She had some butter tea and zanba (roasted highland barley flour) and then went out with a walking stick as usual.

"Grandma is going to turn the prayer wheels in Shitsang Monastery," Lhamo said in a low voice, adding that it's his grandmother's routine for several decades. "She was from Licharu meadow and married to grandpa at the age of 18 with her mother's huge prayer wheel."

Pemacao is 68 years old now. Her biggest concern used to be her 42-year-old son Wangdu Tsering, a monk in the Shitsang Monastery.

She explained: "We were so poor and couldn't afford to raise so many children, so I send Wangdu Tsering to the monastery. He is alone without wife and children. What could he do when he becomes old and ill?"

But, Pemacao's worry seems to have ended since the monastery has arranged medical insurance and endowment insurance for Wangdu Tsering and provides 150 yuan monthly living subsidy as well.

According to local religious officials from the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, there were 8,662 monks in the prefecture insured with medical care, 4,198 monks with subsistence allowances, and 5,174 monks with endowment insurance in 2013.

That makes Pemacao very happy, and now her biggest concern and fun is to make sure that her grandson eats three meals on time.

In the lunar January, religious and folk festivals come one after another. On Jan. 13 of the lunar calendar, Lhamo Monastery held the annual religious ritual of unfolding the giant Thangka painting of Buddha Sakyamuni. Even though it snowed heavily on that day, Pemacao was determined to go.

"Life has changed a lot. 30 years ago, I needed to get up early when the cock crows at midnight and went there on foot. Now with the bus, it takes only one hour," Pemacao said while turning her rosary in Lhamo Monastery.

When the giant Thangka painting of Buddha was unfolded, Pemacao kneeled down in the snow and offered the butter, highland barley four, and khada in her hands as a tribute.

When she finished prostration, Pemacao handed a candy as a gift to the local civil servant standing by her side with a shovel, to appreciate his cleaning the snow-capped paths for the religious and secular people to worship Buddha.

The civil servant Tsepa said one of their important routines was to help with religious events and local pilgrims.

Like other believers in Gannan, Pemacao has never stopped her pilgrimage. She is still very proud to recall that ten years ago, she conducted the prostration rite, walking one step and prostrating for a nother, with her family from Luchu County (where her hometown Shitsang Township locates) to Labrang Monastery in Xiahe County, which is 111 kilometers.

Her dream is to pay homage to the holy city Lhasa in her rest life to turn the prayer wheels in Lhasa and worship the Buddhas consecrated there.