Lixin village in the Himalayas is a Sharpa settlement. Sharpas are an ethnic group living in the east of Nepal and the southwest of Tibet. Photos by Daqiong / China Daily

Shared culture leads to marriages between neighbors going back to seventh century

Residents of China's Tibet and its bordering Nepal have retained close relations over thousands of years, as a result of frequent exchanges.

"The marriage of Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti to Tibetan King Songtsan Gampo in the seventh century is a real testimony to that relationship," said Nepali Vice-President Parmanand Jha in 2014.

The Wadi Sangpo statue in Phakpa Lhakhang Temple in Gyirong county was brought by Princess Bhrikuti at that time as a gift to Tibet, and is lasting evidence of the historic marriage.

Just as throughout history, the close ties remain today, with ever-increasing exchanges in border areas such as Lixin village in Tibet's Dam township.

Ngakwang Droma is from a Sherpa community in eastern Nepal's Gire township. She married a Sherpa man in the neighboring Lixin village last year.

"We share the same culture and we both cherish our marriage," said the 21-year-old Nepali woman.

Ngakwang Droma came to Lixin with her family 15 years ago.

Because of her long stay, she is now able to speak Nepalese, Tibetan, Sherpa dialect and Chinese.

Gire is about 70 kilometers away from Dam, and Ngakwang Droma has long regarded Lixin as her home.

Her three-day-wedding took place in April 2014 and Ngakwang Droma and her husband Nyima Dorje now operate a small shop in the village.