On August 14, the Norbu Linka Park of Lhasa, capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region, saw 35 pieces of woodcarving basso-relievo Thangka themed on Tibetan Buddhism. It is the first time that the Thangka art was shown to the world in the style of woodcarving basso-relievo.

As the Shoton Festival is held in Lhasa, many tourists are amazed by woodcarving basso-relievo Thangka.

"Dubbed as the 'solid Thangka', the woodcarving basso-relievo Thangka not only integrates elements of Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism but also embodies techniques of both modern and traditional art. So it has laid a historical and cultural foundation and made creative achievements through cultural exchanges. We hope more people can enjoy and appreciate such a form of art, and that is why we put it on show in the Norbu Linka Park during the Lhasa Shoton Festival," said a principal of the head office of Tibet Cultural Relics.

Strictly abiding by the proportion of Thangka, these Thangka paintings are made of precious wood such as ebony and yew. It is mainly in Gachi and Miantang styles with the technqiue adopted from the Dongyang woodcarving (Gachi and Miantang are schools of Thangka painting, and Dongyang is a county in southeast China's Zhejiang Province and has the tradition of woodcarving).

In addition, painters of these Thankga paintings borrow the skills in printing from Dege Sutra-Printing House located in China's southwest Sichuan Province, and learned the traditional techniques from the Potala Palace, the Imperial Palace as well as the modern ones from Regong, Qinghai Province.

"These works are so incredible! Thangka that I used to see is only made on embroidery or scroll painting, but hese paintings are so different that they are made of wood, so they are more solid," said Miss Lin from Taiwan Province.

"I get to see woodcarving Thangka for the first time and I feel fascinated during the visit. They are perfect in both shape and sculpture," Gyana, a Lhasa resident who knows Thangka well, told the reporter:

According to Tong Wu, an inheritor of woodcarving basso-relievo Thangka, it takes a few months and even a year to complete one piece of such a Thangka piece of work. And a painter need to have excellent techniques in brushwork, sculpture as well as carving. Any tiny error must be prevented.

Tong Wu said they would contact museums especially temples to exhibit these Thangka paintings. Private collection is not encouraged as it is a kind of delicate handiwork.

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