Weidong
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Weidong, Male, Tibetan, from Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Chuantongzhangpengbianzhijiyi (Ⅷ-285). The tradition is documented in Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai. Within the regional tradition and school record of Chuantongzhangpengbianzhijiyi in Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai: Black yak-hair tents are durable, warm in winter and cool in summer, and convenient to carry; they suit the local temperature range and meet the needs of nomadic life. The Qinghai Tibetan black yak-hair tent is made from locally sourced yak hair, mainly from the yak, known as the 'boat of the plateau'. According to ancient Tibetan documents among the scrolls preserved in the Dunhuang caves, as early as the mid-3rd century CE the Tibetan people twisted yak hair into thread and wove it into woollen sheets to make simple shelters against wind and rain. This was the prototype of the tent, and through continuous development and evolution it became the tent of today.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Weidong is anchored in the documented technical standards of Chuantongzhangpengbianzhijiyi in Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai. Within the documented technical tradition of Chuantongzhangpengbianzhijiyi in Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai: The craft of making Tibetan black yak-hair tents is a traditional building craft mainly distributed in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, with the towns and townships of Xinyuan, Muli, Jianghe, Suli, Longmen and Zhouqun in Tianjun County, Haixi Prefecture, as its core transmission area. Tianjun County lies at the northeastern end of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in the southern part of the central Qilian Mountains. It has an alpine cold climate, and animal husbandry is well developed. Yak hair is both tough and elastic and has excellent heat-retaining properties, making it very suitable for making tents. Yaks are mostly black, and so the tents made from their hair are called black yak-hair tents. The tent-making process mainly comprises selecting the hair, tearing it apart, twisting thread, weaving the sheets, sewing the tent and pitching the tent. Yak hair is first woven into long strips of brown woollen sheet, and the strips are then sewn together in sequence into a whole tent. Generally 12 strips of woollen sheet are used for the top of the tent and 16 for the front and back, two of which serve as the hanging edges. The ridge of the tent top has one purlin-like crossbar (the beam), along which five tent ropes are laid lengthwise. Two long poles are used to prop up the two ends of the crossbar as tent pillars, and the joints between the pillars and the crossbar beam are supported by the spinal joints of cattle. When all the poles have raised the tent, ropes are pulled tight from all four sides to secure it, and the tent is considered complete. The tent has a total span of about 6-7 metres. A skylight is left at the ridge for smoke to escape and air to circulate, and a tent door is set in the front, with its two sides decorated with black-and-white door curtains known in Tibetan as 'guoyou'. Black yak-hair tents are easy to dismantle, reassemble and transport, and are movable dwellings suited to nomadic life. The craft of making black yak-hair tents has a long history and has accompanied the life of herders for generation after generation. The craft of making black yak-hair tents is an important component of Tibetan architectural art and folk custom. With the development of local tourism, demand for tents has continued to rise, and the craft of making black yak-hair tents has become one of the sources of herders' income, with positive significance for promoting ethnic cultural exchange and economic development. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Selecting the yak hair": Yak hair is picked for its softness and elasticity; since the animals are mostly black the hair is called black yak hair, and it is exceptionally warm. "Splitting and spinning the hair": The hair is split into fine strands and spun; the thickness and tightness of the thread set the blanket-cloth's density and its ability to shut out wind. "Weaving the hair cloth": The spun thread is woven into long cloths that roof and clad the tent; the tent is sewn from panels rather than woven whole. "Sewing the tent": Panels are allocated by part: twelve cloth lengths for the roof, sixteen each at front and back with two left as hanging borders, a fixed structural count.
Selecting the yak hair
Yak hair is picked for its softness and elasticity; since the animals are mostly black the hair is called black yak hair, and it is exceptionally warm.
Splitting and spinning the hair
The hair is split into fine strands and spun; the thickness and tightness of the thread set the blanket-cloth's density and its ability to shut out wind.
Weaving the hair cloth
The spun thread is woven into long cloths that roof and clad the tent; the tent is sewn from panels rather than woven whole.
Sewing the tent
Panels are allocated by part: twelve cloth lengths for the roof, sixteen each at front and back with two left as hanging borders, a fixed structural count.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Weidong was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Chuantongzhangpengbianzhijiyi, with Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Chuantongzhangpengbianzhijiyi in Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai as its declared area, and Tianjun County Cultural Center (Tianjun County Library, Tianjun County Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Safeguarding 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
Historical origin
According to ancient Tibetan documents among the scrolls preserved in the Dunhuang caves, as early as the mid-3rd century CE the Tibetan people twisted yak hair into thread and wove it into woollen sheets to make simple shelters against wind and rain. This was the prototype of the tent, and through continuous development and evolution it became the tent of today.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weidong | Haiximengguzuzangzuzizhizhoutianjun, Qinghai | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。