New pictorial lexicon explores world of Tibetan inheritors
The Picture Dictionary of Tibetan Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors, the first such illustrated publication in southwestern China’s Tibet autonomous region, enables people from China and abroad to gain a deeper insight into the region’s cultural development.
Inheritors are members of a list of master artists and artisans, officially charged with carrying forward intangible cultural traditions, ranging from dance, to traditional opera, and other officially recognized genres.
The book, which was published last week, introduces the basic information, achievements and learning experiences of 350 representative inheritors.
It contains 360,000 words and a large number of photo illustrations, according to the region’s mass art and intangible cultural heritage protection centers, authors of the dictionary.
Those inheritors cover a variety of sectors including Tibetan folk art, music, literature, opera, medicines, craftsmanship and songs and dance.
The book includes details of interviews with 124 inheritors of traditional dances, 75 inheritors of craftsmanship, 31 inheritors of Tibetan medicines and 23 inheritors of opera.
Famous for its profound cultural and historical resources, Tibet has received strong support from the Ministry of Culture in terms of policies, funds and projects to better protect, promote and develop its intangible cultural heritage.
The autonomous region started a related protection project in 2005.
As of the end of 2014, the local government had invested 40 million yuan ($6.05 million) in the projects and the central government had also spent 120 million yuan during the decade, to help protect Tibet’s intangible cultural heritage items and support its inheritors.
Tibet has a wealth of intangible cultural heritage resources. A total of 89 items are listed as Chinese nationallevel intangible cultural heritage, 323 items are listed as the autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage and more than 1,107 items are listed as county-level intangible cultural heritage.
With its rich culture, the Tibet autonomous region has 68 Chinese national-level intangible cultural inheritors.
In 2015, a brochure with details on more than 300 national and regional-level intangible cultural heritage items was published, providing an account of their origin, history, artistic value and development.
Tibetan medicine, for example, is at least 2,300 years old.
Known as “Sowa Rigpa” in Tibetan, the medicine uses herbs, minerals and sometimes insects and animal organs, and is practiced in Tibet and the Himalayan region.
It was put on the list of China’s national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Last year, the estimated output value of Tibetan medicine was 1.5 billion yuan.
The Shoton Festival, also known as the Yogurt Banquet Festival, is another classic national-level intangible cultural heritage of Tibet. It is the second most popular festival in the regional capital Lhasa, only eclipsed by the Tibetan New Year.
The festival has been held since the 11th century. It was originally a religious occasion, when locals would offer yogurt to monks who had finished meditation in their retreats.
The annual event has three main parts: the Great Buddha Display, the Tibetan Opera Show and the Horsemanship Show and Yak Race.