Jainca

— He came from a town called Jainca, in the eastern part of Qinghai, close to the borders of Gansu and Sichuan. His father was Tibetan, his mother Han, an unusual combination. The reverse is often true, for Han men stationed in Qinghai take native women for wives, but it is rare that a Han woman marries a Tibetan: To do so she must break with her family, a thing almost akin to death for most Han. But then Lobsang’s father must have been an extraordinary man. He spoke of him seldom but when he did his words were respectful. His mother he spoke of continuously, with great love. He sent her most of his salary, which in Jainca probably enabled her to live like a queen.