Tibetan Singers A-Qia and Yange Drolma [Photo/Tibet.com]

Reconstruct hope and faith

A-Qia is the youngest son in the family and was spoiled by his parents, sisters and brothers at home. Thought not rich, he was living a relaxing and happy life in Yunnan. The big changes in Beijing left him feeling overwhelmed.

"What am I doing now? Why am I here?" Those were his most-asked questions when he was alone during his first three months in Beijing. Realizing that he could not be a cook for the rest of his life, he started to look for jobs relevant to music and dance.

With no friends, no ability to use the Internet and no fluency in Mandarin at the time, A-Qia tried hard to find jobs by walking place to place. Finally he stumbled upon a bar with a Tibetan cultural theme.

"I saw the sutra streamer waving at the door! That makes me feel back at home in Shangri-La." He soon became a singer and dancer in the bar and a year later went to work for the Makye-Ame restaurant and jointed their Tibetan band.

"Finally I found my home in Beijing," A-Qia smiled when he mentioned the band. He learned about music and how to play different instruments with the group's help. His talent in music was fully developed thanks to the band. In 2007, he recorded his first music video.