Mongolian Thangka
01 · Historical Records
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 · Core Techniques & Process
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.
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.
New subject matter
Recent mandalas turn to plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum and grassland views, and several hundred practitioners now carry the art beyond the monasteries.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Through the efforts of the local government and the public, the inheritors and practitioners of this project now number in the hundreds.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In recent years the themes of the works have become richer, and pieces such as Plum, Orchid, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum and The Beauty of the Grassland have appeared.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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