Learning Thangka to Preserve Tibetan Culture

by Cecile Zehnacker

Traditionally painted on silk fabric， thangka is an ancient form of Buddhist art depicting the life of the Buddha and other bodhisattvas and religious icons as well as mandalas made of religious patterns. Thangka paintings always start from geometrical patterns to answer a set of strict rules， since deities must always be depicted with the exact same proportions. The colors are also strictly ruled， which is why learning thangka art usually takes at least six years. Besides being incredible pieces of art， thangka paintings are also a way of learning the life of the Buddha and his path to enlightenment and a medium for Buddhist meditation.

Indian-born Chinese Dakpa Kelden is the central founder of the Thangka Center， also known as the Gyalthang Association for Cultural Preservation， in Shangri-La City， southwestern Chinas Yunnan Province. Gyalthang means“Shangri-La” in Tibetan.

Dakpa Kelden started the center in 2005 with the goal of teaching traditional Tibetan art to the young generation and introducing Tibetan culture to tourists. The teachers are all experienced thangka masters from Tibetaninhabited areas all over China. Tourists staying for a few hours or days can have a glance at the art， and students visit with an aim of becoming thangka masters themselves by attaining an apprenticeship. The students donate their work to the center in exchange for the training. Profits from sales of their work are used to develop the school and help local charity projects.

Tashi Tsering， in his 20s， came from Chamdo Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region to study under the guidance of a teacher he got to know through the messaging app WeChat. He is passionate about the art and has been studying at the center for over two years， with hopes of becoming a thangka master. He plans to continue studying at the center for at least another year.

Citen Nima， in his 30s， hails from Xidang， a village hidden in the valley of Meili Snow Mountain in Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. He was inspired to study thangka painting by religious beliefs and has been working there for eight years. Already a thangka artist， he is currently working on a large-scale piece that will require six months of daily work. He said that the most important and challenging part of thangka painting is drawing deities eyes.

Qilin Dingzhu is a local who just graduated from middle school. He just started learning thangka at the center during the summer vacation. He plans to return to the center to dive deeper into studying thangka painting after he finishes high school and hopes to become a thangka artist one day.

Zhang Luyu， a Kunming native who just graduated from high school， visits Shangri-La on holidays to explore local Tibetan culture. She spent around three hours at the center to get a glimpse of thangka art and paint a simple piece.

Despite modernization， the traditional art of thangka painting remains at the center of the Tibetan Buddhist faith and culture， and keeps attracting the young generation， thanks to the endeavors of many. The Gyalthang Association for Cultural Preservation welcomes around 10，000 short-term students as well as six to seven permanent students every year.

In 2006， China listed thangka among its intangible cultural heritage， a status that gave the art a major boost. Thangka schools like the Gyalthang Association for Cultural Preservation spread across Tibetan communities and even emerged in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai， which has greatly helped the Tibetan cultural legacy flourish and prosper.