Tibetan students celebrate New Year's Day.[Photo/bjxzzx.bjedu.cn]

It was a chilly winter in Beijing, while Beijing Tibet High School seemed more teeming compared with other high schools in Beijing.

"Most of the Tibetan students choose to pass their winter vacation at school. It's time-consuming and costly for these Tibetan students to go home even if they can fly from Beijing to Lhasa for free. It would take most of them seven days or even more from Lhasa to their home," said Li Shicheng, the principal.

According to the "Students' Activity Arrangement of 2012 Winter Vacation" on Mr. Li's desk, watching movies, acrobatics and magic performances, visiting national museum and even holding solo concert are main activities for students of senior One and senior Two, while senior three students have to study from 8:30-11:30 A.M. in the morning, and have free time after then. Moreover, if they like, they could celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and Tibetan New Year together with all school teachers and stuff workers during the vacation.

Beijing Tibet High School, is the only Tibetan high school in the capital of China. Over 95% of its students are Tibetans.

Tibetan students participate in gymnastic contest.[Photo/bjxzzx.bjedu.cn]

Mr. Li said in the Tibetan high school, all board and lodging expenses, travelling expenses to Lhasa and other expenses (such as school uniforms and entrance ticket fee for Beijing historical sites) are covered by the school, and students only have to pay 900 yuan ($142.83 USD) education fee every year.

After graduation, these students would go further education in inland universities and land jobs in different regions of China, but most of them choose to go back to Tibet, working in fields of business, education, politics, media and etc.

"I am so proud of my students, and looking back on how they grow and make progress makes my job significant", said Mr. Li proudly.