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Giant Tangka painting on display

2009-09-03 07:38 BJT

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This next art form, you might want to leave to the professionals. Tangka painting has a long history in the Tibet Autonomous Region, first appearing about 13-hundred years ago. Today, the ancient artistic tradition still fascinates people from home and abroad. This week in Beijing, a Tangka painting of unprecedented size was unveiled.

At the exhibition entitled the Ethnic Artistic Treasures of the Chinese Nation, a giant tangka painting measuring 13-by-1.3-meters is astounding visitors. The work is an account of the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist religion. In all, the painting contains a total of 34 stories and more than two-thousand characters.

Tangka, or Tibetan Buddhist story painting, is a fascinating element of the Tibet culture. Tangka paintings are created on rolls of silk or satin and depict Tibetan anecdotes or folk customs and images of the Buddha. It's an art handed down over a thousand years, and is listed as a part of China's Cultural Heritage. It features strict composition and elaborate depiction. Besides Buddhist themes, Tangka paintings also feature history, customs, and legendary figures of Tibet.

Editor: Zhao Yanchen | Source: CCTV.com