Tudengweise

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Tudengweise, Male, Tibetan, from Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Tibetan Thangka (Ⅶ-14). The tradition is documented in Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tibetan Thangka in Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai: Banma horsetail nail-thread embroidered thangka was created by Quyang Gyatso in 17th-century Ü-Tsang; it was later transmitted by monasteries and folk painters in the Golog-Banma area, and is mainly distributed in Banma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, and the surrounding pastoral regions. Banma lies in the Make River basin at the junction of Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces; the pastoral economy and the monastery economy provided sources of materials such as silk, brocade satin, and horsehair for horsetail nail-thread embroidery. In nail-thread embroidery, thick thread twisted from horsehair is tack-stitched along the edges of the pattern, forming raised contour lines that create a layered contrast with the flat embroidered surface. It was founded by Quyang Gyatso in 17th-century Ü-Tsang and has a history of more than 400 years; it is mainly transmitted in Banma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Tudengweise is anchored in the documented technical standards of Tibetan Thangka in Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai. Within the documented technical tradition of Tibetan Thangka in Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai: Banma horsetail nail-thread embroidered thangka, also called 'integrated thangka', means 'a scroll painting mounted with colored satin fabrics'. It is made by combining multiple handicrafts such as embroidery, pile embroidery, and painting; it has distinct ethnic characteristics, a rich religious character, and a unique artistic style — a rare treasure of Tibetan painting art. Banma horsetail nail-thread embroidered thangka combines painting and embroidery in a brocade thangka, paying close attention to the selection and arrangement of colored silks and satins. It reveals delicacy within boldness and wonders in every detail, with exquisite skill, fine workmanship, bright colors that do not fade easily, and the characteristics of a traditional thangka. Its main materials include pure silk, pearls, silk thread, horsehair, and brocade satin. The combined use of horsehair and silk thread helps to express its exquisite beauty. Its production process is complex, including steps such as processing the painting cloth, drawing on white paper, piercing needle holes, sketching, positioning, and polishing, tracing in ink, twisting horsehair into thread, preparing the horsehair and applying the embroidery, cutting the edges, embossing and finishing the edges, opening the eyes, painting the attendant elements, embroidering after the attendant elements, hand-writing the mantra inscriptions, and finishing the border decorations. Among these, opening the eyes is the crowning touch of the entire thangka and the key to gauging the level of a painter's attainment. Local people regard the production process of Banma horsetail nail-thread embroidered thangka as a meritorious deed that accumulates good karma, reflecting reverence for the Buddhist teachings. Its works cover a wide range of subjects, involving Tibetan history, politics, culture, society, and daily life. Banma horsetail nail-thread embroidered thangka has been passed down from generation to generation through the master-apprentice method. It is a survival of the handmade skills of the Tibetan people, a distinctive art formed through summarizing and accumulating practical experience in long-term production activities. Its choice and use of materials are highly scientific, providing an important reference for research on traditional fine-arts techniques. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Jicheng tsangka, the assembled scroll": Also called the assembled scroll, meaning a scroll mounted with coloured satin textiles, it combines embroidery, appliqué and painting and has a strongly national, religious and individual character. "Fourteen stages from canvas to border": The process runs through canvas preparation, drawing on paper, pricking, sketch positioning and smoothing, inking, wrapping horsehair, stitching the prepared hair, trimming and branding the border, opening the eyes, arranging and embroidering the composition, writing the mantra and finishing the border. "Silk, pearl, horsehair and brocade": Materials are silk, pearl, thread, horsehair and brocade: silk is costly and keeps its brilliance, pearl replaces every jewelled ornament, and horsehair is supple enough for the outlining of complex scenes. "Chöyang Gyatso's founding and master-to-pupil transmission": Founded by Chöyang Gyatso in seventeenth-century Tsang and now over four hundred years old, it survives chiefly in Baima county of Golog, where the work itself is regarded as accumulating merit.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Tudengweise was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Tibetan Thangka, with Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Tibetan Thangka in Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai as its declared area, and Banma Transmission Mawei Dingxian Co., Ltd. as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Tudengweise (Guoluozangzuzizhizhoubanma, Qinghai) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Tudengweise · China ICH Official Archive