Sera Monastery of Lhasa was built in 1419 and covers 28 acres. In the past it housed thousands of monks at a time, but now is home to only about 550. However, when foreign journalists visited the monastery on June 22, 2008, only a handful of monks were visible.
According to the BBC, "almost every aspect of the lives of Buddhist monks and nuns is monitored and controlled by the government." The Communist Party strictly regulates monasteries and convents, and party officials visit every monastery and convent frequently to be certain the regulations are being followed.
China also tightly restricts the number of monks and nuns allowed to each monastery or convent, to the point that some monasteries can no longer perform some rituals correctly because of a shortage of monks.