Some more pictures. Last ones were from 2007. These are from 2004. Spot any differences?

So, what do you think about the coral, amber, dzi and everything? Authentic, imitation, new, antique etc?

My opinion is that coral is new, undyed, luxury type that is available in Tibet nowadays. I don't have any knowledge about where the origin is, but people here have made various suggestions

Amber I don't really know anything about

Dzi beads.... for starters surely there are too many for them to be antiques. Also they look smooth and so I guess new reproductions? (However, I have got photos from this festival of what do look some antiques in people's costumes. Will post later)

And gold/silver I believe is genuine and not plated. I saw some of the belts and other accessories for sale online (sold through somebody's blog). They were tens of thousands of dollars for a belt that was 70% silver and the rest gold.

Her demure expression in every photo reminds me of nobility

First photo is her at the festival in her normal smart dress. After that are photos of in the ceremonial costume exhibition, her bejewelled with the extended family's investments.

They were taken at the Yushu Horse festival, which is in the traditional Kham region of Tibet - one of Tibet's three traditional regions. The area is 4000m above sea level, and is mostly grassy plains (unlike most people's image of a mountainous Tibet).

Nearly all western people and EVERY chinese person I've asked doesn't realise that this region is actually Tibet. What the Chinese call the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) is only half of Tibet! The other half (after China took over in 1959) got put into four other Chinese prefectures: Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Gansu.

Tibetan culture is far better preserved in these non-TAR areas. Massive Chinese immigration has occured into Lhasa and other cities in the TAR, but not into the non-TAR towns and countryside areas. And the government generally granted Tibetans in these areas much more freedom of movement and self-governance - an experiment in liberal treatment, opposed to the more oppressive treatment of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

Yushu is in the Qinghai region. There is a 30 minute english documentary on the Yushu Horse festival below. It's a good watch. Remember that it's made by the Chinese Communist Party's TV station.

The festival normally happens every summer at the end of July. It might happen in a couple of weeks. But Yushu had a terrible earthquake in 2009 (known as the Qinghai earthquake). It was the most prosperous town in all of the traditional Kham region, but every single building there was severely damaged and 10% of the population died. Currently the town is a tent city. The Chinese government have completely raised the area and are building a new town, with a home for every family. The reconstuction will be finished in a 18 months to 3 years.

I wanna get my photo taken with her, too! :)

A smaller scale version of the above Yushu festival in Yushu Town was recently held - the first one since the terrible earthquake that devastated Yushu Town in April last year. This one seems to have been just for locals and not advertised to tourists, and I haven't seen any photos of horse races. What I have seen is plays and songs to commemorate the earthquake and encourage the reconstruction. Men and women attend in their local finery, here are some pictures:

Ladies at the festival
More ladies at the festival

Also there are many small festivals that are organised by nomads elsewhere in the vast countryside of Yushu prefecture:

Small nomadic festival held in 2010 near Yushu
Another event around Yushu in 2009
Men's hair ornaments at small nomadic festival in 2009
Local Womens' Headdresses at the same festival