Foreign journalists cannot travel to Tibet without government permission. We have just a few hours to get as much information as we can on huge stories like this before videos are scrubbed and voices stifled.

Instead, we have to rely on state media, which has so far focused on incredibly dramatic rescue efforts. Specialist search teams scaling mountains and cliff faces, or crossing raging rivers to try to get to the worst-affected areas.

We don't yet know what happened afterwards, or who they were able to save. This is not to say that Beijing is unconcerned.

Rather, they are very concerned. China's Premier Li Qiang was quickly despatched to the region, where he was seen inspecting debris removal - a rare visit by the country's second-most important leader so soon after a major disaster.

The reason for what the world might see as a muted response is to preserve the one thing Xi covets for his country: stability. The Communist Party will fear that such a disaster could fuel discontent, either with the response or the lack of foresight to prevent it.

It may also fear the impact of a tragedy like this and its potential to be a rallying factor, especially in a community where faith has long played a central role. Although the region has not seen protests in a long time, Tibetan groups abroad have expressed concern over increasing Chinese control, such as new education laws that they say aim to weaken the role of monasteries and the Buddhist faith.

Just hours after the disaster struck, the Communist Party machine tried to rally its grassroots to stem any signs of discontent of its handling of the landslide. A notice came from the local party office urging members to step up and help in disaster relief efforts in their area and provide emotional guidance or psychological support to affected residents.

The key line instructs them to "make every effort to maintain social order and ensure stability and public confidence in the disaster areas". It is a warning that will not be taken lightly.

Tibetans in the region can be detained or arrested for speaking to journalists or posting anything online that is seen as contrary to the government narrative, according to rights activists. That is making it difficult for Tibetans outside the region to find out what has happened to their relatives.

The International Campaign for Tibet, while praising the work of first responders in the area, said Beijing had been removing videos and other first-hand information from social media. To try to understand what life is like for Tibetans, the BBC travelled to a town that sits on the edge of the Himalayan plateau last year - just outside what China calls the Tibetan Autonomous region.