Tibetan students unpack the gifts from local people before the Tibetan New Year which falls on Feb. 25 this year at Jinan Tibetan School in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 24, 2009.

Tibetans also gathered in Beijing, Shanghai and Hebei Province for new year celebrations.

"Shanghai and Tibet are both my homes," said Yangjen who has lived in Shanghai for more than 30 years and celebrated the Tibetan new years here for years.

"I never felt lonely over these years. Whenever I met any difficulty, people always came to help me. I can feel the deep friendship between Tibetans and the Han people everywhere," she said.

"Cheers for all the Tibetans!" she toasted in a Tibetan restaurant with many other Tibetans during a party held by the local government.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2009)