Tibetans gather to celebrate the beginning of spring plowing near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

For every year when spring begins, Tibetans in Moinzhongang Village dressed in traditional costume would come together, singing and dancing, to mark the beginning of spring plowing.

Tibetans gather to celebrate the beginning of spring plowing near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Tibetans gather to celebrate the beginning of spring plowing near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

They have been observing this tradition for thousands of years. This village in Shannan of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region boasts "the earliest farmland" in Tibet. The legend says that about 2,100 years ago, grains were planted here, so began the history of farming on "the roof of the world".

Tibetans gather to celebrate the beginning of spring plowing near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Tibetans gather to celebrate the beginning of spring plowing near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

On the 19th day of the first month on Tibetan calendar, prayer flags are set before the gathering begins at the foot of Mount Tashitseri , where stands the Yumbu-Lha Khang, the earliest palace in Tibet.

Tibetans celebrate the beginning of spring plowing near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Tibetans begin their spring plowing at a ceremony near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

In this small village, people have been living on farming for generations.

Tibetans celebrate the beginning of spring plowing near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Tibetans begin their spring plowing at a ceremony near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

In 2016, grain yield in Tibet topped 1 million tons, a result of the development of modern agricultural technology.

Tibetans celebrate the beginning of spring plowing near the Yumbu-Lha Khang Palace on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)