Mark Stephen Levy

Tibetan Spring Mark Stephen Levy

Yangchen and her family are Tibetan refugees living a simple life in Nepal. Often, her High Lama grandfather would tell her stories of the wonders of Tibet before he had to cross over to Nepal to escape the crackdown of Chinese authority. This was a special time for Yangchen as she loved her grandfather dearly and the stories he would tell her. Just prior to his passing, and with a weakened voice, he awakes from a dream re-counting that she crosses over to Tibet. Suddenly, Yangchen had purpose in her life, and because of his sacred dream, she realizes she must go. Having received a smartphone for her eighteenth birthday and inspired by her grandfather's dream and her own self-determination, she posts a curious message on a Tibetan refugee website mobilizing fellow refugees to accompany her on the treacherous journey to Tibet. By doing so, Yangchen unintentionally changes the course of Tibetan history.