Gerilei

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Gerilei, Female, Mongolian, from Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Mongolian Thangka (Ⅶ-124). The tradition is documented in Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia. Within the regional tradition and school record of Mongolian Thangka in Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia: Through the efforts of the local government and the public, the inheritors and practitioners of this project now number in the hundreds. The horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka has been transmitted in Alxa for more than 200 years. According to legend, in the summer of 1733 the Sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso built the Zhaohua Temple at Toudaohu, where local herders and monks used horsehair-winding thread techniques to make appliqué thangkas as offerings. From then on the horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka spread widely among the temples of Alxa, and it can be seen at the Guangzong Temple, the Zhaohua Temple at Toudaohu, the Yanfu Temple, the Chengqing Temple, and other temples of the region.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Gerilei is anchored in the documented technical standards of Mongolian Thangka in Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia. Within the documented technical tradition of Mongolian Thangka in Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia: The horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka is a kind of religious artwork of Alxa Left Banner, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and has been transmitted locally for more than 200 years. According to legend, in the summer of 1733 the Sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso built the Zhaohua Temple at Toudaohu, where local herders and monks used horsehair-winding thread techniques to make appliqué thangkas for worship. From then on, the horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka spread widely among the temples of Alxa. It can be seen at the Guangzong Temple, the Zhaohua Temple at Toudaohu, the Yanfu Temple, the Chengqing Temple, and other temples of the Alxa region. The Alxa horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka has clear, well-defined lines and a strong three-dimensional effect, with distinctly layered appliqué; its images are still yet full of movement, vivid and lifelike to a remarkable degree. The structure is sound and the composition compact; the figures, though small, are vivid, with careful color matching; refinement shows within roughness, and wonder is found in the smallest detail. In the past, the themes of the Alxa horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka were mostly Buddhas, bodhisattvas, dharmapalas, Vajrayana vajra-holders, the Eight Auspicious Symbols, fine horses, white elephants, and flaming mani jewels, while multi-panel compositions mostly depicted Buddhist stories and mythological tales. Works such as The Fifth Dalai Lama and Toro Baikhu Gushi Khan, Ga Pan, and Jiamusen, hung in the Zhaohua Temple and Guangzong Temple of Alxa, are all acknowledged masterpieces. The production process of the horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka is complex, including pattern design, cutting, appliqué, embroidery, and partial coloring of individual motifs, with appliqué as the main technique and embroidery as the supplement. In production, the composition, images, proportions, and colors of the subject matter cannot be invented at will; the maker must be thoroughly versed in the doctrines, ritual protocols, iconography, and measurements of the various classics, and must follow the prescribed rules of iconography and measurement. In making, washed mane hair from a horse's neck or tail serves as the core; it is twisted between the fingers so that silk threads of various colors wind around it, and the strands are twisted together into one. The pattern to be made is then drawn on paper, each motif is cut out, and cotton cloth, silk, or satin of the corresponding color is pasted onto the cut-out motif, pressed and bonded in sequence according to color and order, and heat-set. The horsehair wound with colored thread is carefully stitched along the outline of each motif, defining and decorating the facial features, hair, clothing, and accessories of figures as well as the edges of the picture. Each independent motif is then sewn tightly together with silk thread and carefully assembled into a complete picture. When appliquéing the contours of an image, the work generally proceeds from the inside outward: the central main image is stitched first, and the surrounding subsidiary parts are made afterward. Historically, the inheritors of the horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka were mostly local herders and monks. Because its production process is elaborate and its uses relatively limited, the horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka once faced the risk of interrupted transmission in modern society. The craft of the horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka is unique and its process elaborate, with distinct local and ethnic character; it holds high artistic and aesthetic value. At the same time, it developed on the basis of combining, selecting from, and complementing the ancient religious art of the Mongols with the Buddhist art of the Tibetan and Han peoples; it is a gem in the history of Mongolian fine craft and a vivid witness to cultural exchange among ethnic groups, with considerable historical and cultural value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Records of Process Steps": The production of the horsehair-wound thread appliqué thangka is complex, including process steps such as pattern design, cutting, appliqué, embroidery, and partial coloring of individual motifs, with appliqué as the main technique and embroidery as the supplement. "The first mandala of horsehair embroidery": In 1733, while the Sixth Dalai Lama built the Zhaohua temple, local herders and monks embroidered the first such mandala in horsehair for worship. "Horsehair wrapping and built relief": Wrapped horsehair is piled in discernible layers so the outlines stay sharp and the figures stand out in shallow relief. "The eight auspicious signs": Its subjects are Buddhas, bodhisattvas, protectors, dharmapalas and the eight auspicious signs — the vase, the fish, the conch and the rest.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Gerilei was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Mongolian Thangka, with Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Mongolian Thangka in Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia as its declared area, and Alashanzuo Banner Cultural Center 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. Gerilei (Alashanmengalashanzuoqi, Inner Mongolia) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Gerilei · China ICH Official Archive