Thangka

Thangka is a special Tibetan style scroll painting which is painted or embroidered on the silk. The themes and contents of Thangka involved in history, politic, culture and society. It is praised as the encyclopedia of Tibetan people. Most of the Thangkas handed from ancient times were works of Tibetan Buddhism or Bon.

Thangka is one of the most outstanding traditional arts in Tibet. The origin of Thangka could be dated back to 1300 years ago. It experienced many ups and downs in the past years. It is of distinctive folk factors and full-bodied religion factors. Thangka has been regarded as the treasure of the Tibetans.

The manufacture of Thangka is pretty sophisticated. A good Thangka needs superior materials, natural pigments and exquisite manufacture. Most of the contents of the Thangkas are about the religions, history and culture of Tibet. They integrated the relief and intelligence of Tibetans. They recorded the civilization, historical evolution and the development of Tibet.

It is reported that Thangka sells best among the souvenirs in Tibet. Most tourists buy it for the following reasons: it is a typical Tibetan style handicraft; it could be easily rolled and transported. The price of Thangka is determined by the size, painting, contents, materials and some other factors. The elaborate Thangkas are very valuable and some of them could be priced more than one million RMB, even a normal Thangka is about several hundred RMB.

Thangka art has been listed as one of the most precious intangible cultural relics among the folk arts in China. Tourists in Tibet could adopt Thangka as the souvenir of you Tibet tour since it is potable and is of high value.