Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi

01 · Historical Records

The production of Tibetan swords in Baiyu County has a long history, traceable as far back as the early Tang dynasty of the 7th century CE, giving it a history of more than 1,300 years. During the Song dynasty, in the era of King Gesar of Ling, the metal handicraft industry of Hepo was devoted mainly to the production of weapons and was known as the 'Gesar Arsenal'.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The Tibetan metal forging technique produces a great variety of products, mainly Buddhist statues, various ritual implements (such as prayer wheels and the vajra of the esoteric tradition), and incense burners; among them, Tibetan swords are the most famous and the most commonly seen. The blade of the Tibetan waist sword is clean and bright and its edge is incomparably sharp. The handle is made of ox horn or hardwood (such as jujube wood), wrapped with copper or silver wire; the top is bound with copper sheet, inlaid with brass, or engraved with patterns. The scabbard is also made with great refinement, carved with patterns of dragons and phoenixes, tigers and lions, flowers, birds, and fowl; some are further adorned with gems and agate, giving them a sumptuous and gorgeous style. The Tibetan sword is both a daily necessity for the Tibetan people and a famous Tibetan handicraft, deeply loved by art collectors and connoisseurs. The Tibetan metal forging technique has a long history, a distinctive style, and exquisite workmanship. Its traditional products are closely bound up with the production, daily life, and religious beliefs of the Tibetan people, giving the craft a marked ethnic and regional character. Tibetan swords serve productive, domestic, self-defense, and decorative functions. They are the most representative category among the many Tibetan handicrafts and an important component of Tibetan culture. Baiyu County, in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, is renowned far and wide for its metal handicrafts and enjoys the reputation of a 'hometown of handicrafts'. The swords produced locally are known as 'Baiyu swords' and have long been beloved of the Tibetan people. According to statistics, the county now has 407 specialized households engaged in handicraft production, with 634 workers; Hepo Township alone accounts for 192 specialized households and 264 workers. The metal handicrafts of Hepo Township in Baiyu County fall mainly into five categories, of which Tibetan swords are the principal one. Tibetan swords mainly include men's long waist swords, medium-long waist swords, and hanging swords, as well as women's hanging swords, daggers, and Gesar swords. From the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties onward, during the construction of Gatuo Monastery in Garzê, the folk craft cultures of the Han and Tibetan peoples exchanged with one another, and the metal handicraft technique of Hepo Township developed considerably, shifting from the manufacture of traditional weapons to the making of everyday goods. Besides Tibetan swords, the craftspeople also produce horse gear (saddles, stirrups, etc.), Buddhist ritual utensils (butter lamps, water-offering bowls, water bottles, etc.), household items (silver bowls, etc.), and ornaments (fire-striking chains, earrings, hair flowers, belts, necklaces, etc.). In Lhatse County of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibetan swords are produced mainly in Xue Village of Lhatse, known as 'Lhatse Snow swords', with a history of more than 1,000 years. The Tibetan swords forged in the Lhatse area come in three types: long swords, short swords, and small knives. The longest long swords can reach one meter in length; short swords are about forty centimeters long; and the small knives are only a dozen or so centimeters. The general production process of the Tibetan sword consists of smelting, mold casting, hammering out the rough form, carving and inlay, welded assembly, reinforcement, filing and shaping, fine engraving, and polishing. Lhatse swords are forged from steel, finely worked, with clean, bright blades and sharp edges. The handles are made of ox horn or wood, wrapped with silver or copper wire; on high-grade examples the top of the handle is sheathed and inlaid with copper sheet, and some are further adorned with silver ornaments. The scabbards are also made with great care, often sheathed in silver or copper and engraved with floral and animal patterns; some are even inlaid with jewels or gilded, appearing exceptionally ornate. The Anchung swords of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province are renowned for their exquisite form and fine performance. Made chiefly of metals such as gold, silver, and copper, they use ox horn and ox bone as decorative materials. Anchung swords are divided into men's and women's styles. In form, women's swords are mostly crescent-shaped, exquisitely and delicately made and beautiful in appearance; their scabbards are engraved with dragons and phoenixes, flowers, the dharma wheel of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, and other patterns, and are inlaid with coral, turquoise, and agate. Men's Anchung swords share the form of ordinary swords; gilded and inlaid with silver, with frosty blades of unmatched sharpness, they are called 'three-use swords' by the Tibetan people, meaning that the sword can be used first for cutting beef and mutton, second for fending off wild beasts and for self-defense, and third as an ornament worn at the waist to add to one's heroic air. Anchung swords are famous not only throughout the Tibetan regions of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, and Gansu but are also renowned the world over; tourists from home and abroad alike regard them as rare treasures and collect and preserve them with care.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The production of Tibetan swords in Baiyu County is relatively concentrated, distributed mainly across the two townships of Hepo and Rejia.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi · Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi · Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi · Tibetan Jinshu Forging Craftsmanship.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Longduo Ranjie (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): male, Tibetan, born in June 1948, from Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Representative inheritor of the Tibetan metal forging technique (Tibetan sword forging), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project of the third batch. Tibetan metal forging technician. Before the age of ten he began learning forging from his family, and before the age of twenty he had become an outstanding ironware forging craftsman. The gold and silver vessels and ornaments he forges feature raised carved lines, exquisite and lifelike patterns, smooth and full contours, and inlay and engraving that merge into a seamless whole — workmanship that can truly be called a triumph of skill over nature. His works have caused a sensation at handicraft exhibitions across the country on many occasions, and are regarded as fine collectibles sold as far as foreign markets. Together with his disciples Tujiang and Dingsong, he has devoted his main energies to teaching apprentices, cultivating more inheritors for the Tibetan metal forging technique, a folk craft facing the threat of extinction. Gama Daiqing (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): male, Tibetan, born in July 1960, from Chenduo County, Qinghai Province. Representative inheritor of the Tibetan metal forging technique (Tibetan sword forging), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project of the fifth batch. Tibetan metal forging technician. Through continuous study and the accumulation of experience, his Tibetan sword-making skill has greatly improved, and he is known for authentic quality and a strong Tibetan ethnic style. The Tibetan sword-making technique is transmitted in a single, family-based line; as artisans grow old, young members of the family are unwilling to learn the craft, and the transmission of the Tibetan sword has run into difficulties. In addition, some people use machines to produce imitations in place of pure handwork; the resulting swords differ greatly from traditionally hand-forged ones in their details, which hinders the long-term development of Tibetan sword culture. Gama Daiqing, however, has held fast to tradition and to authentic transmission, and has broken with the old mode of transmission by taking apprentices widely, having trained more than thirty of them.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Esegama 03-1378
• Cidanwangjia 03-1379
• Long Duoranjie 03-1380
• Liedan 04-1883
• Laqiong 04-1884
• Gamadaiqing 05-2816
• Genqiudanzhen

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi (Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Long Duoranjie · National Representative Bearer Archive
3. Gamadaiqing · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗