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Regong Arts



Monks and people of Tibetan and Tu ethnicity along with the Longwu River basin in Qinghai Province of western China practice the plastic arts known collectively as the Regong arts through painting thangka and murals, patchwork barbolas, and sculpting. These arts are carried on in nearby provinces and have influenced South-East Asian countries. It contains stories of the Sakyamuni, Bodhisattvas, guardians, and fairies, as well as Buddhist stories. It is an important genre of Tibetan Buddhism, with a history dating back more than 700 years. People of Tibetan Buddhism refer to Regong art as "the flower on the Tibetan plateau" and "a magnificent pearl of Chinese art."

Thangka is an art of painting religious scrolls used to venerate Buddha and uses a special brush to apply color to cloth prepared with patterns in charcoal. Barbola is a form of textile art that uses plant and animal forms cut from silk fabric to create soft relief art for veils and column ornaments. The Regong sculptures are often found in both temples as well as in homes and decorate rafters, wall panels, tea tables, and cabinets.

In the early periods, Regong's paintings were crude and unsophisticated, with monotone colors. These paintings were typical of Indian and Nepalese styles and typical to this region. In the mid-17th century, the artisans mastered better techniques; the painting styles also became more exquisite. They also paid more attention to the decorative effects of their paintings. After the 19th century, Regong's paintings featured beautiful colors and elaborate decorations. The artisans of this period took a great interest in the decorative interest in their works and employed so much gold that the pieces looked resplendent and magnificent. These works are not only harmonious in their arrangement of different subjects but are also lively, with outstanding artistic effects.

Regong artisans have traveled to many different parts of China over the past several centuries, creating a wide range of exquisite artworks, such as works from Qinghai Province, Tibetan Autonomous Region, Gansu Province, Sichuan Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and other places within China, such as India, Nepal, Thailand, and Mongolia. As they combined the painting styles of Tibetan paintings, Dunhuang murals, and foreign similar paintings with local folk arts from Qinghai Province, they gradually developed the techniques of Regong art. The unpretentious painting style, harmonious color arrangement, and realism of Regong artworks reflect Tibetan culture entirely, making the art a rarity in Chinese cultural history.

Regong paintings are mainly handed down from fathers to their children or from masters to their apprentices, using traditional Buddhist painting books for instruction online and figure drawing, color matching, and pattern design. Symbolizing a distinctively Tibetan Buddhist religious style and unique regional features, the Regong arts are characterized by a spiritual history and a culture that continues to this day. They remain an integral part of the artistic life of people in the region.

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