MONKS, MONASTERIES & MENTORS

On July 14th we visited Xining’s well-known Daoist Temple, Bei Shan Si. Like most temples in the area, it has burnt down and been rebuilt several times during its history. As a result, it is difficult to know how much of the current structure is original. Regardless, located in the hills surrounding Xining, the temple has an unparalleled view of the city and features beautiful artwork and architecture. Spending our afternoon hiking the peaceful trails of the temple was a much needed break from the crowded and busy streets of Xining.

Bei Shan Si overlooking Xining

On July 18th we took a longer overnight trip to Repkong, a town about 200km southeast of Xining and famous for its highly skilled painters and craftsmen. Repkong artists are especially famous for their Thangka artwork, which is highly sought after by Buddhists and art afficionados from around the world. A Thangka is usually painted or embroidered, and typically depicts one or many Buddhist deities in incredible detail.

This monk has been painting Thangkas since he was 9 years old.

We arrived in Repkong in the early afternoon after being delayed by freeways closed for the annual Tour of Qinghai Lake cycling race. This major event attracts some of the top international cyclists each year, despite being held during the Tour de France. Needless to say, we were eager to explore Repkong after spending three hours sitting on the side of a freeway, and we went straight to Long Wu Monastery near the center of town. There we ran into Andy, an ETP student who we met several weeks before in Xining. Together we explored the monastery, and were forunate enough to have great weather while we surveyed fantastic buildings and watched a monk debate.

Sara, Jesse, David and Andy outside of Long Wu Monastery

A philosophical debate about Buddhist scripture. Monks pair up, with one partner playing devil’s advocate (standing) and posing questions to test the faith and knowledge of the other (sitting). Monks usually pair with partners their own age, and content of their debate varies depending on their age. The debates are a daily occurrence in big monasteries, so monks are encouraged to cultivate a healthy balance between faith and reason.

On our second day in Repkong we visited one of the nearby villages where many artists live. Upon our arrival, one of the monks gave us a tour of the local monastery. He told us that the artists, who are known to be quite devout, donate much of their income towards maintaining and refurbishing local monasteries. They also use their skills to create elaborate Thangkas for the shrines. Thankga painting is a lucrative career, with each piece generating anywhere between 500 and 100,000 RMB ($80-$15,000), so the monasteries are very well-kept. From the monk we also learned that Repkong is linguistically diverse, with influences from several minority groups. As a result, villagers communicate in a unique hybrid form of Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese, and our guide even spoke some English. After our tour of the monastery we walked through the village stopping at the homes of various Thangka painters. They happily welcomed us into their (very elaborate) homes, and showed their work. We learned that there are certain guidelines Thangka painters must follow. Specific deities have their own color schemes, poses, and attire. The surrounding designs and details are determined by the individual artist, making Thangka painting a balance between creativity and adherence to traditional structure.

This Thangka took around six months to create, and will sell for 30,000-40,000 RMB ($4,500-$6,000).

When we returned to Xining we visited Kumbum Monastery, one of the four most important monasteries in Tibetan Buddhism. It’s also the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Yellow Hat Sect. We were impressed by its size and diverse architecture, but unfortunately, it was crowded by the waves of tourists.

We weren’t the only ones traveling during the peak tourist season. Keith Dede, Qinghai expert and head of the Chinese department at LC, was here for a conference. For almost twenty years (almost as long as we’ve been alive!) he has been researching the local dialect. We were excited to talk to with him about Qinghai culture and history. Xining is a melting pot of many minority groups, and in our time here we have perceived subtle tensions between these groups. Over several dinners with Keith, we learned that despite its diverse population, Xining’s residents have lived in relatively peaceful coexistence throughout most of the city’s history. It was enjoyable, especially for Sara and David who got to know Keith at LC, to spend time with him in such a different setting. Keith has been one of our biggest advocates throughout all stages of this project. He was eager to hear about what we have done so far, and he helped us refocus and plan the next stages of our work. Thanks Keith!

Sara’s mom Annie also paid us a visit, and her timing couldn’t have been better. With David gone, we were beginning to get restless and burnt-out from working on the Pentok website. It was great to take Annie to some of our favorite restaurants, and to have her expert opinion while souvenir shopping. She also gave us lots of helpful advice and encouragement about our project. We can’t wait to see her again in Beijing!

Finally, we spent some time with a cool group of high-schoolers traveling through China with a program called Where There Be Dragons. They started in Kashgar, in the far northwest of China, and are working their way back towards Beijing. While in Xining the Pentok staff (and their three foreign assistants) gave the group a presentation about Tibetan culture and etiquette. All of them were engaged and excited, and it was really fun to spend a few hours with such a different crowd.

Stay tuned for a project update.

Stupas at a village monastery outside of Repkong, each representing a great achievement of the Buddha.