A Tibetan artist has died after setting himself on fire in the latest self-immolation protesting against Chinese rule, and residents are afraid to leave their homes because large numbers of security forces are in the area, it was reported on Sunday.

The man set fire to himself on Sunday morning in Tongren, a monastery town in western China's Qinghai province, said the government in exile and the London-based activist group Free Tibet.

A photo on the exile government's website showed a burned body wrapped in orange scarves and surrounded by monks.

Free Tibet identified the dead man as Dorje Lungdup, 25, a father of two children and an artist of traditional Thangka religious paintings. It said thousands of people gathered to say prayers for him, and that people decided to cremate his body soon after to prevent authorities from interfering.

A representative of the family told the crowd that he set fire to himself to call for the return of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and begged them not to protest for the sake of their own safety, Free Tibet said.

Dozens of ethnic Tibetans have set themselves on fire in heavily Tibetan regions since March 2011 to protest against what activists say is Beijing's heavy-handed rule in the region. Many have called for the return of the Dalai Lama.

Free Tibet said residents of Tongren were afraid to leave their homes because of large numbers of security forces on the streets and restrictions on movement. It said internet and mobile phone communications were being interrupted to prevent the spread of information.

A man at the Tongren county government said he could not hear clearly and asked the Associated Press to call back. Calls then rang unanswered, as did calls to police.