Tibetan heritage meets Han-Chinese culture in Qinghai's monastery
發佈日期: 2025-06-27 21:20
TVB News
Nearly a quarter of Qinghai's population is Tibetan.
Their culture, art and architecture embody centuries of Han Chinese-Tibetan cultural blending.
TVB News continues its series on Qinghai as Jacky Lin reports from the province's grandest Tibetan Buddhist monastery and thangka art hub.
Qinghai's Kumbum Monastery, also called Ta'er Temple, is where Tibetan Buddhism's Gelug tradition began, as the birthplace of its founder Tsongkhapa.
Both a Buddhist pilgrimage site and a nationally protected cultural relic,
the site was built during the Ming Dynasty as solitary pagodas before evolving into a sprawling complex of temples and halls.
Its design is where the Han-Chinese style of upturned eaves and swooping rooftops meets Tibetan architectural structures.
This tourist from Guangzhou said her ten-day trip here has helped ease her restlessness.
This Tibetan man from Sichuan said he is taking a pilgrimage encompassing holy sites across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in memory of his late grandmother.
Kumbum Monastery, which has undergone continuous expansion over the past 400 years, also shares deep connection with Hong Kong.
Its main gate, built in 1992, was a gift made possible by a 3 million-dollar donation by Sir Run Run Shaw, who had also supported schools and hospitals across Qinghai.
Tibetan Buddhist artistry also thrives in Qinghai's Thangka paintings, known as Regong.
The pigments are ground from precious materials including gold, silver and malachite, which can stand the test of time.
To preserve this intangible heritage, local authorities have encouraged Regong painters to teach their craft across schools, breaking the traditions of passing the skills to men or monks only.
One apprentice is Miss Hu from Zhejiang who grew up in a Buddhist family, and spends months here every year.
She said every stroke cleanses the soul - almost like a form of meditation.
This Regong art school also scouts talented herders in nearby villages, hoping to unleash their potential and lift them out of poverty.
This Tibetan apprentice cannot hear or speak but told us using sign language that his deafness brings focus and he can paint undisturbed by outside noise.
The pigments used in Thangka art are traditionally hand-ground by the artists themselves.
Painters believe the process requires a very calm mindset and steady pressure.
Otherwise, colours could be altered.
