Life in the remote city of Kangding on the historical border between Tibet and China (13 images)

A Tibetan farmer stands in the yard of his new farmhouse, which was built to replace homes destroyed by the 2014 earthquake near Kangding, a small county in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, on May 21, 2016. China's central government is investing heavily in the development of the Tibetan Prefecture, building schools, roads, hydroelectric dams and general infrastructure projects. The Tibetan area is normally off-limits to foreign journalists, with the Chinese government tightly controlling the prefecture's growth - which sometimes conflicts with the Tibetans' traditional way of life. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI

in Kangding, a small county in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, on May 21, 2016. China's central government is investing heavily in the development of the Tibetan Prefecture, building schools, roads, hydroelectric dams and general infrastructure projects. The Tibetan area is normally off-limits to foreign journalists, with the Chinese government tightly controlling the prefecture's growth - which sometimes conflicts with the Tibetans' traditional way of life. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI

New, modern houses dot the remote countryside outside of Kangding, a small county in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, as China pushes to develop the area on May 21, 2016. China's central government is investing heavily in the development of the Tibetan Prefecture, building schools, roads, hydroelectric dams and general infrastructure projects. The Tibetan area is normally off-limits to foreign journalists, with the Chinese government tightly controlling the prefecture's growth - which sometimes conflicts with the Tibetans' traditional way of life. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI

Heavy pollution rises from a new construction site in Kangding, a small county in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, on May 21, 2016. China's central government is investing heavily in the development of the Tibetan Prefecture, building schools, roads, hydroelectric dams and general infrastructure projects. The Tibetan area is normally off-limits to foreign journalists, with the Chinese government tightly controlling the prefecture's growth - which sometimes conflicts with the Tibetans' traditional way of life. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI