Tibetan Thangka

01 · Historical Records

The Drikung embroidered thangkas transmitted in this region began in 1880, in the time of the thirty-fifth holder of the Drikung lineage, with Chilie Duoji as the founder. The Mozhugongka Drikung embroidered thangkas encompass the society, religion, history and folk customs of the late 19th-century Tibetan region, and constitute an 'encyclopedia' for understanding Drikung culture.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Mozhugongka means 'land at the edge of the sky' in Tibetan; the county town of Mozhugongka lies east of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region, at an average elevation of over 4,000 meters. The Drikung embroidered thangkas of Zhaxue Township, Mozhugongka County, have rigorous yet full and balanced yet varied compositions; the technique relies mainly on fine-brushwork heavy color and line drawing (baimiao), and the entire production process is carried out by needle-and-thread embroidery. The workmanship is of a high standard, and the works are rich in three-dimensionality, texture and movement—vivid to the point of seeming alive. The subjects of Drikung embroidered thangkas are wide-ranging, falling broadly into the following categories: Buddhas and bodhisattvas; stories of the Buddha's life and his previous births; the yidam deities of esoteric Buddhism; Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara) and Tara; dharmapala guardians and Wisdom Kings; high lamas, eminent monks and great adepts (mahasiddhas); Tibetan history and historical figures; mandalas and stupas; and others, such as diagrams of the motions of the sun, moon and heavenly bodies, Shambhala, Mount Sumeru, and the wheel of life and death. The making of Drikung embroidered thangkas requires care in piecing, satin stitch, embroidery and sewing; in production, the content to be expressed is first drawn as a picture, and the embroidery is then executed according to the design. The embroidery uses only top-quality silk. For large thangkas with an area of more than 10 square meters, five or six strands of horsehair are twisted together and smeared with raw beef and mutton so that they adhere; the bundle is then wrapped in colored silk cloth and made into cord for sewing. Drikung embroidered thangkas are completed entirely by embroidery; they appear richly textured in relief, with an extremely strong three-dimensional effect, the figures being especially full-bodied and lifelike. The maker must both carefully conceive the composition and the portrayal of figures and achieve precision through 'stitch counting'; the work is difficult, the process complex, and the demands on the maker high.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Drikung embroidered thangkas are found mainly in the area of Zhaxue Township, Mozhugongka County, Lhasa, Tibet; they take their name from Drikung Til Monastery, the ancestral monastery of the Drikung Kagyu school, and their transmission centers on five generations of family lineage after Chilie Duoji. Mozhugongka County lies east of Lhasa, in the upper reaches of the Lhasa River, at an average elevation of over 4,000 meters; the locality has ready supplies of both silk and wool, providing the materials needed for embroidered thangkas.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Through five generations of family transmission thereafter, the sewing and assembly technique of the thangkas grew ever more complete, and the workmanship ever more exquisite. At present, very few people have mastered this technique; a crisis of succession has already emerged, and the Mozhugongka Drikung embroidered thangkas are on the verge of extinction, urgently requiring rescue and protection. Mima Ciren (official archive record of the associated inheritor): Male, Tibetan ethnicity, born in February 1975, from Mozhugongka County, Tibet Autonomous Region. He loved embroidery from childhood and began to learn it at the age of 14. Skilled in painting and specializing in embroidery, he has rich experience in appraising old silk and satin, and has developed a distinctive style in the art of embroidered thangkas. In 2013 he established an embroidery factory at Drikung in Tibet and founded the Drikung Mici Folk Embroidery Company. He has taken on more than thirty apprentices. Representative inheritor of Tibetan thangka (Mozhugongka Drikung embroidered thangka), a national-level intangible cultural heritage item from the fifth batch. Starting in 2004, he led his apprentices over nine years to embroider the Drikung embroidered thangka of Tibet The Golden Garland of the Kagyu (Kagyu Jinjin Baochuan Tangka), 120 meters high and 85 meters wide, with a total area of 10,200 square meters; the hand of the principal Buddha image alone is 2 meters long. This set a Guinness World Record as the largest thangka of the time.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

• Danbaraodan 01-0063
• Gesangcidan 01-0064
• Yandengzeren 04-1748
• Luobusida 04-1749
• Xirebu 04-1750
• Jiumai 04-1751
• Lameng 05-2581
• Cirenluobu 05-2582
• Zhaxi 05-2583
• Gade 05-2584
• Mimaciren 05-2585
• Jiaobajiabu 05-2586
• Qujiu
• Gesang
• Nima
• Tudengweise
• Gamadanzeng
• Luozhubasong

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Tibetan Thangka (Mozhugongka, Tibet) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Mimaciren · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗