TseringDorjepeelsapieceofairedpaperoffascreen.FORcenturies,Tibetanshavebeendevotedtoprotectingtheiruniquetraditionalculture.In2005,custodiansoflocalculturestartedtoapplyforintangibleculturalheritagestatusforculturalrelicsandancientbooks.Sincethen,theTibetanOperaandGesarEpichavebothbeenincludedintotheRepresentativeListoftheIntangibleCulturalHeritageofHumanity;70itemsincludingThangkaandTibetanpapermakingcrafthavebeenincorporatedintothenationalintangibleculturalheritagelist;and200-plusitemswerelistedinthecategoriesofautonomous-region-levelintangibleculturalheritageprotection.
Thestudyandprotectionofpattra-leafscripturesbeganin2006.Afteryearsofefforts,researchersnowunderstandthesituationofextantpattra-leafscripturesandhaveimplementedprotectionmeasures.Thoseancientscriptures,afterhundredsyearsofobscurity,aretakingonanewlookandbeingshowntotheworld.
TibetanPaperMaking
TheYarlungZangboRiver,withitssourceintheHimalayas,flowsdownfromwesttoeast.TheplacidriverbecomesturbulentwhilepassingbytheNyemoCanyon.Sinceancienttimes,civilizationshavealwaysbeenbornindrainagebasinsoflargerivers.NyemoCountythatissituatedalongthemiddlereachesoftheYarlungZangboRiverhasalsonurturedsplendidTibetanculture.TheinventoroftheTibetanscriptinthe7thcentury,ThonmiSambhotawasbornhere.LocallyproducedTibetanincense,paper,andcarvinghaveenjoyedgreatreputationontheTibetanplateau,dubbedthe鈥淭hreeFeatsofNyemo.鈥滱nornamentallanternmadeofTibetanpaper.Asanimportantcarrieroflocalculture,Tibetanpaperhasrecordeditshistorywhilewitnessingitsvicissitudes.Impactedbythemodernpapermakingindustry,traditionalmanualpapermakingisonthedecline.ShoraVillageinNyemoCounty,oneofthethreeplacesinTibetrenownedforpapermaking,isendeavoringtopreservetheancientpapermakingcraft.
IntheyardofaNyemo鈥檚Tibetanpapermakingmill,dozensofpapersheetsareaired.Inthesmallmill,thesoundofmachinesisabsent.Workersaredealingwithpilesofwolfsbane(arareherbfiber),themajormaterialforTibetanpapermakingunderthesun.Astheplantispoisonous,itisrepellenteventolivestockandwildlife.Duetoitsuniquenature,wolfsbanepaperitselfisinsectresistant,rat-proof,andendurable.
TomakeTibetanpaper,thewhitelivingtissueisremovedfromwolfsbane鈥檚root.Aftercleaninganddrying,itisthenboiled,andpulverizedwithstonesmanually.Bymixingitwithwater,paperpulpisformed.Thispulpisthenspreadevenlyonthesurfaceofascreen,whichhasbeenplacedinwater.Afterbeingairdriedthepaperisremovedfromthescreen.
Asonlythecentralpartofthewolfbane鈥檚rootcanbeusedasmaterial,plustheplant鈥檚longlifecycle,theTibetanpapermakingindustryisfacingmaterialshortage.TseringDorje,apapermakingcraftsman,istryingartificialcultivation.However,intwoyearsthewolfbaneseedlingsonlygrewafewcentimeters.Nooneknowshowlongtheywilltaketobecomefullygrown.
AnotherproblemthatbothersDorjeishowtopassonthetraditionalpapermakingcrafttothenextgeneration.Hetookuptheprofessionasateenagerandnowinhislate60s,onlyhashistwosonstocontinuethecraft.Hisformerapprenticesallleftbecauseofthelowincome.
Tosurviveinthemodernworld,theoldpapermakingcraftneedsinnovation.Yearsago,tocatertotherisingtourismmarket,Dorjestartedtointroducecreativeculturalproducts.Onepopularinnovationistoplacefreshflowers,leaves,andgrassinbetweenlayersofpaperduringproduction.Tibetanpaper,oncemainlyusedforscriptures,nowiswidelyusedtomakelanternsandnotebooks,whicharesoldinmanyTibetanscenicspots.Despitebeingintroverted,DorjehasbeenactiveinworkingwithmediatopromoteTibetanpapermadeinShora.
RepairingPattra-leafScriptures
NorbuLingka,locatedinthewesternsuburbsofLhasaCity,isatypicalTibetan-stylegarden.ItsnameinTibetanmeansTreasureGarden.Theadministrativeofficeofthegardenwasestablishedin1995.Twoyearslater,JumiTsultrimwashiredtopreserveculturalrelicsthere.TodayhiscolleaguesoftensayTsultrimisatreasureofthegarden.
Duringhiscareer,whathasimpressedhimmostwashisparticipationinrepairingpattra-leafscripturesin2006.TheextantpattraleafscripturesinTibetweremainlyworksoftheperiodfromthe8thto14thcentury,withtheircontentscoveringmostfacetsoftraditionalTibetanculture,closelyassociatedwithTibetanTripitaka(theoldestcollectionofBuddhistscriptures),thusveryvaluableforresearchonthehistoryofBuddhisminTibetandChina-Indianculturalexchanges.Owingtostronglocalawarenessanduniquemethodsinculturalrelicprotection,furtherfavoredbyTibet鈥檚dryclimate,extantTibetanpattraleafscriptureshavebeenwellpreserved.Oftheexistinglessthan1,000pattra-leafscriptures,around6080percenthavebeenfoundinTibet.
Thepattra-leafscriptures,whichweremostlywritteninSanskrit,areonlylearnedbyaselectgroup.Tsultrimhaswrittenabookaboutthepattra-leafscripturesprotectionhistory,whichishowthelocalculturalprotectiongroupnoticedhim.Hedidhaveexperienceinculturalrelicrepairwork,andhadalsolearnedSanskrit.However,repairingtheancientscripturesisahugechallengefortheteamaslongtimestoragehasmadethescripturesgomouldy,getrotten,ordamagedbyworms,plusthefactthatthepagenumberingofpattra-leafscripturesisdifferentfromthetraditionalBuddhistscriptures.JumiTsultrimscrutinizesapageofscripture.
JumiTsultrimworksonaSanskritcalligraphicwork.Therepairprocessincludescollecting,sorting,photocopying,assemblingtheshredsofpaperandcataloguing.Intheassemblingstep,TsultrimappliedthetraditionalgluewhichhasbeenwidelyusedinrepairingBuddhastatues,tryingtodiminishfissureswithoutextradamageinflicted.
ThechallengealsocamefromthefactthatitisdifficulttodiscernsomeSanskritcharacterpatternswithcircumstantialevidenceneeded.Tobetterrepairthepattra-leafscriptures,TsultrimhasstudiedadozenSanskritcharactertypes.IftherepairteamfoundanyparttheyarenotsureaboutintranslationfromSanskritintoTibetan,itsmemberswouldrecordthemintotheresearchreport,withtheaimtodrawtheattentionofthefuturegeneration.Theprotectionteamfollowstheprincipleofchecking,accepting,andphotocopyingonthesite,avoidingmissinganypieceoftherelics.
Forsixyears,inlightofTibetan,ChineseandEnglishdocumentsaboutpattra-leafscriptures,Tsultrimandtheculturalprotectionteamhavevisitedtemplesandculturalruinsof41countiesinTibet,andinterviewedcountlessordinaryhouseholds,tryingtogetanoverallsurveyofextantpattra-leafscriptures.
Asadevotedrepairerofculturalrelics,Tsultrimhassoughttomaintaintheoriginallookofancientarticles.Duringtheperiodof2001-2005,hecompletedmultiplemajortasksofrepairingancientTibetanbooks.
Jumi鈥檚excellentworkcanbeattributedtobothhisdevotiontotheprofessionandhisprofoundculturalbackground.AgraduateoftheTibetanBuddhismCollegeofChina,TsultrimexcelsinbothTibetanandSanskrit;meanwhileheisalsoacalligraphymaster.AsvicechairmanofTibetCalligraphersAssociation,hundredsofhiscalligraphyworksinbothTibetanandSanskrithavebeencollectedbyregionalorganizations.HehasgarneredmultipleawardsinthisfieldatboththenationallevelandTibetanregionallevel.TobettercarryforwardTibetanculture,TsultrimhasworkedasavolunteertoteachTibetancalligraphy.Todate,hisstudentgrouphasswelledtomorethan600distributedacrossthewholeTibetAutonomousRegion,andsomeofthemhavegoneontobeteachersthemselves,takingthesamepathasTsultrimdidtopromotelocaltraditionalculture.
Inthenewera,traditionalTibetancultureisembracingnewdevelopmentopportunities.AndthoselocalculturalmasterslikeTsultrimareseeinganevenlargerstagetopursuetheircareer.Theirdevotion,culturalknowledge,andexperiencehavemadethemtruetreasuresoftheregionforculturalinheritance.
ZHAOYAOisareporterwithTibet.cn.