In the pursuit of science

When scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences came looking for a site in Tibet to study cosmic rays that could shed light on the origin of the universe, Tsewang Gyumey immediately sensed its gravity.

"Here was a chance for our students and teachers to serve mankind in a leading science project," he says.

The president of Tibet University, the first modern institute of higher education in Tibet's history, handed over 100 yuan to his physics teachers, who treated the scientists from Beijing to buttered tea and fruits.