Kham is one of three great cultural regions of Tibet, along with Ütsang and Amdo, and is located in the northeast of the Tibetan plateau. The entirety of the region is now governed by the nation of China. In terms of contemporary administrative units in China, Kham is centered in the Kandzé prefecture of Sichuan province, though substantial parts are also found in the Tibet Autonomous Region to the west, Qinghai province to the north, and Yunnan province to the south. Kham has a rugged terrain characterized by mountain ridges and gorges running from northwest to southeast. Numerous rivers, including the Mekong, Yangtze, Yalong Jiang, and the Salween flow through Kham. The Tibetan name for this region is Kham (ཁམས, khams, 康巴).

Videos in this collection represent some of the wide range of languages, traditions, material culture, rituals, and intellectual contributions represented in communities that constitute cultural Kham.