Tibetan Textiles:Time-honored Craftsmanship

by Li Yuan and Wang Yuanyuan

The workshop of the Tibetan carpet cooperative in Nyangdoi Township， Gyangze County， Shigatse City in southwestern Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region is perpetually busy with workers knitting carpets and looms clattering.

Production of traditional Tibetan carpets requires a series of complex procedures including wool cleaning， spinning， dyeing， knitting， cutting， and design. In the workshop， balls of wool are transformed into strands by workers using a spinning wheel.“Spinning seems simple， but it is one of the most important steps because it determines the quality of the finished carpet product，”noted co-founder Tenzin Chenglai. “Only experienced craftsmen can be trusted to do the work. It requires years of practice to perfect the seemingly simple procedure.”

Gyangze Tibetan carpet features evenly-distributed wool threads， excellent texture， and unique dyeing techniques. Except for red and black， every color of dye is extracted from locally available materials such as leaves， grass roots， and minerals. The hand-made dyes are more durable and dont fade with time.

Wool knitting is like a dance among fingers. A worker places an iron rod on the warp and passes the wool over and under. The density of the carpet depends on the thickness of the iron rod. This unique technique gives Tibetan carpet longer， softer， and more elastic fibers， which are impossible to produce with ordinary knitting machines.

Tenzin， born in the 1990s， resigned from his decent job as a civil servant six years ago and founded the Tibetan carpet cooperative， embarking on a journey of entrepreneurship to revive ethnic handicrafts in his hometown.

Almost everyone in Gyangze knows how to knit a Tibetan carpet. “My grandfather made a name for himself as an accomplished carpet craftsman，” said Tenzin. “My brother is also well-known in the village as a skilled carpet worker.” Such a strong family atmosphere cultivated his interest in the craft of woolen knitting. “Hand-woven Tibetan carpets not only have daily utilitarian value， but theyre also precious works of art reflecting the ideas and wisdom of the Tibetan people. Every decorative pattern on a carpet has a meaning.”

However， traditional culture must absorb new ideas to survive and thrive. Traditionally， patterns on the Gyangze Tibetan carpet used to draw inspirations from ancient temple murals like two dragons playing beads， flowers and animals， and mountains and rivers. “The carpets were mainly sold locally，” said Tenzin.“When the patterns and colors of Tibetan carpets hardly change for generations， the local market will become saturated sooner or later. We need to change if we want to expand the market.”

Tenzin has worked hard to innovate carpet patterns. A graduate of the architectural design department of Tibet University， he applied his education in perspective relations， color matching， light and shade contrast， and CAD drawing to create new designs for Tibetan carpets. After two years of countless trials and failures， in 2016， he introduced modern technology to the traditional handicraft to finally produce a tapestry with three-dimensional patterns of historical architecture， paintings， calligraphy， and ethnic decorations. The novel and unique product has performed impressively in the market. Now， the cooperative partners with thirdparty companies to export products such as Tibetan Opera masks， Tibetan carpets， and thangka tapestries to Europe and the United States. Newly developed carpets and tapestries tailored for the Japanese market are also in production.

Tenzin launched an online store on the WeChat platform in 2018 after his brick-and-mortar store was doing so well， with hopes of building brand awareness and winning a bigger market share.

The cooperative has not only brought Tibetan handicrafts back to life， but also helped generate a wage hike for local residents. A total of 65 employees， including 26 from poor households and one disabled person， have been offered jobs and stable income.

In the workshop， 23-year-old Penpa Udrup was trimming a carpet. “I used to work at construction sites and only knew how to mix cement and sand，”said Penpa. “I had no idea about carpet making when I joined the cooperative in 2018. My master gave me instructions for a year before I developed a good command of the skill. Now my monthly salary is about 4，700 yuan（US$724）. My girlfriend is now learning to knit woolen carpets here， and we plan to wed soon.”