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| Tibet Art
and culture |
| Tibetan painting originated from rock painting in
ancient times. It consists mainly of the animal images of deer, ox,
sheep, horses, and hunting scenes. |
| Wall paintings contain rich content, involving
religion, politics, history, economy, culture, Tibetan medicine, and
social life. Brightly colored wall paintings can be found everywhere in
Tibetan monasteries. Some of them are more than 1300 years old. |
| Tibetan wall painting experienced two periods. The
first period starts after Songtsen Gampo became the king. The figures in
the wall paintings of that period are chubby, and painted with simple
color, which is close to the art works at Dunhuang by Bei Wei and the
beginning of the Tang Dynasty. The second period started around 10
century A.C. when the initiator of the Yellow sect, Zongkapa, reformed
the religion. During that period, the political and religious leaders
collected many folk painters to complete wall painting jobs, and let
them run in the families. That is the most splendid period of wall
painting. |
| Tibetan wall painting is actually pictures of Tibetan
history. It describes visually social living, the development of
religion, historical tales, local conditions and the customs of Tibet.
It is a pearl of Tibetan art! |
| Tibetan Dance |
| Almost every Tibetan can sing and dance. They sing
anytime for any event and dance at festivals, weddings, gatherings and
during their spare time. The Tibetan nationality has a population of
about 3.87 million, scattered in Tibet, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan. The
areas inhabited by Tibetans boats a great diversity of folk songs and
dances. |
| From historical writings we can see that more than a
thousand years ago folk religious and sorcerers' dances were very
popular in Tibet. They influenced the Wild Bull Dance, Yak Dance, Deer
Dance, Crane Dance, Peacock Dance, Sorcerers' Dance, Drum Dance and
other kinds of folk dances that have been handed down to this day. |
| Some of the early dances popular among Tibetans are
Guoxie Dance, Duixie Dance, Guozhuang Dance, Xie Dance, Zhuoxie Dance,
Qamo Dance. |
| Tibetan Music |
| Tibet stands at the influence of three civilizations,
the Turko-Mongolian, the Chinese and the Indian. Enriched from time to
time by influences from these, its own ancient tradition has developed
in high isolation from the rest of the civilized world. This tradition
embraces a very distinctive way of life and a music all its own. Music
plays an important part in Tibetan life and has three aspects: |
| Tibet Jewelry |
| Jewelry has traditionally been an important part of
Tibetan daily dress. It is believed that jewels put people in touch with
deities, and protect them from the many hazards of life in their rugged
and treacherous land. |
| In the Himalayas, jewelry was indicative of the social
status and political power of the wearer. The materials from which the
objects were made were also believed to have healing properties. Gold
was thought to have a range of restorative qualities in addition to
increasing longevity and dispelling demons. Turquoise, pearls, coral and
lapis lazuli were all invested with specific curative powers. |
| Tibetan Thangka |
| Thangka is a uniquely Tibetan traditional art that
evolved between the 7th and 12th centuries. Its origins lay in Indian
religious art, but Nepalese, Chinese and Kashmiri styles also influenced
its development. |
| Thangkas come in a huge variety of styles, depicting
various subjects. |
| Thangka painting involves mastery of many demanding
techniques: mastery in sketching the illustrations and numerous deities
according to formal iconography rules laid down by generations of
Tibetan masters; learning to grind and apply the paints, which are made
from natural stone pigments; and learning to prepare and apply details
in pure gold. |
| Thangka painting requires extended concentration,
attention to detail, and knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, and must be
carried out in a peaceful environment. |
| Epic Poem King Gesser |
| As the longest epic in the world, Epic Poem King
Gesser was written about 1,000 years ago in Tibet and quickly spread
around the Himalayan Mountains region. It is composed of 120 volumes in
more than 1 million lines and more than 20 million words. It tells the
full story of a great ancient king who conquered the devils of other
Tibetan tribes and made Tibet a stable, peaceful and happy place to live
in. |
| Noted as "the world's only surviving epic," King
Gesser has been translated into many languages, including English,
French, German, Russian and Indian and has spread to more than 40
countries and regions worldwide. |
