The Tibetan Tiger Carpet is one of the oldest motifs in Tibetan carpets. As early as a thousand years ago, people in the Ali area had engraved the animal skin symbols decorated with tiger skin on the top of the mountain, and then the Tibetans woven their respect and worship for tigers into the Tibetan carpet, achieving a unique tiger carpet.
The Year of the Nongyin Tiger in 2022 is also the Year of the Water Tiger in the Tibetan calendar. In Tibet, "heroes are praised for tiger and leopard skins, and fox tails are shown as cowards", "tiger skin coats, tiger skin skirts, tiger skin robes" and so on have become "six brave ornaments". Recently, the exhibition "Tibetan Tiger Carpet New Year Special Exhibition" was exhibited in Shanghai Daigo Art Space, unveiling the tiger carpet for many art lovers, and also presenting the unique intangible cultural heritage skills of Tibetan carpet to the public.
Tibetan areas are high in altitude, have a cold and changeable climate, and are dominated by nomadic people who live in tents. The origin of the Tibetan carpet can be said to be born to cope with the harsh environment of the snowy plateau. The Tibetan people made thick and warm blankets made of wool as raw materials, which can not only be spread on the bed for warmth, but also can be spread on the ground for reception when guests arrive.
Hidden blankets
In the course of thousands of years of development, Tibetan carpets have not only retained the cultural symbols of Majiayao, the origin of carpets, but also integrated proto-Bon, Tibetan Buddhism and other related symbols in different historical periods. For example, the symbols of dragons, snakes, and fish that often appear in Tibetan carpets are the ancient animism.
Vajra pestle tiger pattern Tibetan carpet, 19th century, 95.3cm x 74.9cm, collection of Mr. and Mrs. Bigeshi
Lotus pearl trimmed tiger pattern blanket, 19th century, 88.9cm x 78.7cm, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Bigsch
In Tibet, the tiger praises the hero and the tiger guards the Fa-rectification. In early Indian Buddhist culture, the Buddhist practice was also a process of "ambushing the tiger", symbolizing the surrender of anger and greed – which was also the path to wisdom. It is understood that tiger blankets have a documentary history of nearly 1300 years in Tibet. Since the establishment of the Tubo dynasty by Songtsen Gampo in the early 7th century AD, the tiger carpet has become a symbol of honor and protection. After ascending to the throne of Zampu in 630, Songtsan Gampo promulgated a new law, the Thirty-Six Systems, which mentioned that "heroes are honored with tiger and leopard skins, and fox tails are shown as cowards", "tiger skin coats, tiger skin skirts, tiger skin robes", etc. have become "six brave ornaments", which can only be worn by those who have gained status and considerable achievements.
Traditionally, tiger blankets have also been used to protect the peace of the master, the house, and the monastery. At the entrances of important Buddhist halls and living quarters, there will be "scepters of power" decorated with tiger stripes to indicate the majesty of the Buddhist holy places; some of the wrathful robes also have tiger stripes decorations, symbolizing surrender to greed; even in Han China, there is a similar tradition - there is a story of "False Clouds and Tigers" in Chinese Buddhism: the high monk Xuanyun Master meditates on the edge of the woodlands of Tiger Hill Mountain, six tigers sit meekly around, and Master Xuanyun also strokes the front paws of a tiger, serenely.
The authoritative stick at the entrance to the temple, Image: The Tiger Rugs of Tibet
Tiger carpets are not only noble, but also rare in number. At the same time, due to Tibet's special geographical location and policy regulations, few people have been able to see the face of the tiger carpet for a hundred years. Recently, the "Tibetan Tiger Carpet New Year Special Exhibition" was presented at the Daigo Art Space in Shanghai, unveiling the tiger carpet for many art lovers, and also presenting the unique intangible cultural heritage skills of Tibetan carpet to the public.
The technique of "tying knots through the rod" in Tibetan carpets
In addition to containing the artistic civilization of various periods, Tibetan carpets are also a major feature of their weaving technology. The surging news learned that this exhibition presents the intangible cultural heritage craft of "wearing rod knots" of Tibetan carpets. The craftsmen placed an iron rod across the warp and knotted the wool thread on it; then used a hammer to press the freshly knotted woolen thread tightly; moved the shuttle that opened the warp line upwards and ran through the middle of the white line to form a new warp line; with a comb-shaped hammer head, the white thread and the wool thread were pressed against each other... Over and over again, the tibetan carpet was woven inch by inch.
In a video in the exhibition hall, from the drawing design to the winding workers to the weaving Ajia and others, accompanied by the crisp tapping sound of weaving, the sound of pruning after the weaving of tibetan carpets and the sound of washing water, a tiger carpet is repeatedly woven, kneaded, rolled up and unfolded in the hands of craftsmen, and finally displayed in front of the audience.
The reporter learned that a beautiful Tibetan carpet needs to go through a number of complicated processes such as selecting wool, spinning yarn, dyeing, drawing and proofing, weaving, cleaning and shearing, etc., and the processes need to be interlocked.
Weaver craftsman at the Kavajian Tibetan Carpet Factory in the 1990s
In the spinning step, the thickness and viscosity are emphasized. If you do not master the heat, it will directly affect the dyeing process. It is necessary to ensure that the yarn has a certain color refraction force, and at the same time to retain a certain white core. The spun yarn is then sent to the dyeing workshop. Only to see a dyeing jar with a diameter of nearly two meters was placed on a high platform, and there was a fire underneath, and the carpet craftsmen needed to accurately grasp the temperature, time, and heat, and also skillfully flip a bundle of yarn to make it evenly colored. It is reported that dozens of colors of Tibetan carpets are made of three primary color dyes. How many grams of dye are used in 100 kilograms of water must be accurately mastered, not only to ensure the color, not to waste the dye, but also to allow the same acidity of water to be recycled.
Weaving process
Drawing and proofing is an important part of Tibetan carpet making. The relevant person in charge of Daigo Art Space introduced the design drawings and color matching drawings on the display to reporters, "The large drawings are the overall design drawings and color schemes of the Tibetan carpet, and the local details also indicate in detail the color number used, which is more intuitive, and some drawings are also attached with a small piece of yarn specimens." For example, the antique carpet in the exhibition hall, because there was no color number in the past, these colors are matched by the intuition of the craftsman. Therefore, now craftsmen need to repeatedly experiment on the color of the antique carpet, set the color in the process of continuous adjustment, mark the color number, and then take it to make. It's a long process. ”
It is reported that a skilled worker can weave about 2.5 square meters of blankets a month, while a novice takes at least half a year to learn and master the skill.
Daigo Art Space exhibition hall site
The Tibetan tiger carpet works on display this time are also the tiger carpets shown in the video
Tibetan tiger carpet works on display this time
Kelsang Tashi and Kawajian Tibetan Carpet
In the 1990s, a number of handmade carpet factories, including Kawajian, Lhasa Tibetan Carpet Factory, and Gyantse Carpet Factory, sprang up in Tibetan areas, and the Tibetan carpets they produced were once a necessity for every household in Lhasa. The reporter learned that the Tibetan carpets presented this time are all from the Kavajian Tibetan Carpet Factory.
It is reported that this is a veteran Lhasa local enterprise, founded by the businessman Lisang Tashi in the last century. The factory produced a large number of tibetan carpets, mainly geometric and traditional patterns such as flowers and auspicious clouds, but there was also no shortage of new designs inspired by the works of Impressionists.
Kelsang Tashi was born in 1945 into the Kham family of Shangri-La. His father was one of the first students to study Chinese in Kunming and was always enthusiastic about different cultures in the distance. When Kelsang Tashi was 9 years old, in order to let his children receive a better education, his parents decided to emigrate. After arriving in the United States, Kelsang Tashi received a Western-style education and became a successful banker.
Mr. Kelsang Tashi with the Old Craftsmen, 1988
Kelsang Tashi and Dolmala travel all over Tibet in search of ancient Tibetan carpet patterns, Shigatse, 1993
In 1986, Kelsang Tashi returned to his hometown, but he was shocked by the current situation of the Tibetan carpet handicraft industry. Millennia-old crafts are on the brink of extinction, with skilled craftsmen having to switch to low-skilled work; the high-quality wool that herders have worked so hard to harvest is often sold at low prices, but the market is crowded with shoddy goods; and handmade Tibetan carpets are as dangerous as traditional Tibetan culture. Seeing this, Kelsang Tashi decided to quit his job at the bank, return to China, and travel all over Tibet to find skilled weaving and dyeing craftsmen, intending to restore the craft of Tibetan carpets. In 1994, he gathered a group of skilled young artists and established the Tibetan carpet factory "Kavajian" (Tibetan transliteration, meaning snow mountain) in Lhasa.
Kelsang Tashi once said, "Good carpet, you should say Tashi Delek to it when you enter the door." Come back after a tired day, take off your shoes and step on them, it will give you a massage. It lifts your heart and allows you to go out without rain and see the sun. "Within a few years, through the efforts of Kelsang Tashi and these craftsmen, the skills of Tibetan carpets have been revived, and the texture and color of traditional Tibetan carpets have been reproduced to people.
The compound of the Kavajian Carpet Factory
Kavajian workers display Tibetan carpets, 1990s
Due to the lag in the mainland market at that time, Kawajian's handmade products were more popular in overseas markets. In the 1990s, as the number of customers steadily increased, kavajian trained more and more craftsmen, and the Tibetan carpets woven from their hands were also loved by overseas consumers. It is said that Japanese customers especially like it. "When a Japanese buyer receives a tibetan carpet, he or she uses a magnifying glass to check whether the number of woven rudiments is correct. Once they noticed a fingernail missing from a tiger on a tiger blanket, they wrote an email informing the factory. The factory offered to return them for replacement but was rejected by the Japanese customer. They believe that this is precisely the characteristic of craftsmanship, and this broken nail makes this tiger carpet unique. The relevant person in charge of Daigo Art Space said.
After that, Kavajian opened a number of branches in New York, Tokyo and other places, and set up sales headquarters in the New York World Trade Center. For the scale at that time, the relevant person in charge of Daigo Art Space told reporters, "This tibetan carpet factory used to have nearly 400 people. Originally, when they ate a large pot of rice in the factory, the diameter of the cauldron could reach 2 meters. ”
Tibetan carpets produced in Kawakyan
In 2019, the Sotheby's Tiger Carpet auction site in London
However, with the occurrence of the "911" incident in the United States, this luxurious tibetan carpet display site was also destroyed. After that, with a series of operational problems, Kavajian gradually declined, and many craftsmen also left the workshop. At the same time, with the popularity of CNC machine tools, the production cycle is long, the manual Tibetan carpet with high labor cost is gradually declining, and the Tibetan carpet on the market is mainly machine-woven Tibetan carpet.
Fortunately, after more than ten years of recovery, Today's Kawajian has resumed the production technology of Tibetan carpets, although the number of employees is not as good as in the 1990s, but the production skills of Tibetan carpets have been restored, and the factory has found a new way of development. Wang Zeqiang, head of the Tibetan carpet factory, told reporters that at present, there are nearly 30 workers and nearly 20 households in the factory. With the exception of a few young recruits, most of the craftsmen have been working here since the 1990s. Just look through the old photo album to recognize their young figures, but the youth of that year are now middle-aged.
A new road for handmade carpets
Today's Kavajian factory still uses the large Tibetan courtyard of the 1990s, with carpet-making studios and exhibition halls on the first floor and employees' homes on the second floor, where some children were even born and raised. The warehouse is neatly stacked with colorful yarns, all with their own numbers. There is a lush meadow outside the compound, and during the festival, the craftsmen will help the old and the young to sit on the ground, gather together to cross the Lynka, a big family scene.
It is understood that the income of the craftsmen in Kavajian is currently settled through the number of orders completed each month. However, in order to prevent the craftsmen from rushing to order at night and causing errors in the weaving of the pattern, the factory simply removed all the lamps in the room, so that the craftsmen followed the habit of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
The deaf-mute craftsmen of Kavakyan are strong and skilled weavers
At the same time, with the current new media communication methods and the way of cooperation with art institutions, Kavajian is moving towards a new development path with a cross-border thinking model. Wang Zeqiang told reporters, "Since we had a public account in 2015, we have conveyed the beauty of Tibetan carpets to the outside world through pictures and other means. After that, we continued to follow up, digging up the story of the carpet factory and gradually doing brand promotion. These media are also not available in the past. ”
Among them, there are also many stories of craftsmen. For example, the craftsman Puton began learning to weave Tibetan carpets in Gyantse at the age of 12, and has been engaged in this craft for more than thirty years. He accompanied Kavajian from the beginning to the present, and is an extremely important technical commissioner of Kavajian, not only mastering all the processes of Tibetan carpet weaving, but also a first-class master of complex technologies such as repair and flat shearing. Puton believes that hand-weaving Tibetan carpets is an extremely complex and hard job, but he hopes that he can stick to it, and this skill that carries the national culture can be passed on to more people. Nima Tashi is now the workshop director in Kawajian, and has also been learning Tibetan carpet weaving since he was 12 years old and has been in the industry for more than 30 years. His dream is to be able to stick to the job, because he really loves this traditional handicraft and does not want it to be lost or lost due to the changes of the times.
Wang Zeqiang said that today's Tibetan carpet factory is moving towards a new development path. He said that each Tibetan carpet work will be implanted with a "chip", "buyers can check through the mobile phone which smith made this Tibetan carpet, and what his living environment is, so as to make the craftsmen more fulfilled." In addition, with the emergence of craftsmen's works, we are also experimenting with new modes of thinking, such as making works into NFT digital art. Of course, on such a road, Wang Zeqiang also said that the Tibetan carpet factory still needs to maintain the traditional handicraft model, "We don't want to go too early and too fast, but we can't be pulled down too much, so we can slow down half a beat." ”
The story of the Tibetan carpet promoted through new media
Regarding the current situation of Tibetan carpets, Wang Zeqiang said, "The Qinghai region was relatively open in the 1980s and registered the Tibetan Carpet Expo. But over time, the expo also formed a bad state, filled with a large number of machine products. After the 1990s, many people did not want to sink their hearts into doing crafts, but instead sought to make quick money. This state of affairs has also continued for many years. In recent years, with the propaganda of culture and national tide, the workshop of Tibetan carpets has gradually recovered.
Tibetan carpets are not only a craft passed down from generation to generation, but also a means of obtaining a stable income for local employment. Wang Zeqiang said that he hopes that through more publicity, more locals will have a new understanding of this skill, and use this to drive young people to innovate and inherit. "The Tibetan carpet itself is a craft that grows out of the land and is directly related to life, so the designs of their local craftsmen are imaginative, very rough, but also very cool and trendy."
The exhibition "Tibetan Tiger Carpet New Year Special Exhibition" will be on display until March 31.
(Some of the information in this article comes from Daigo Gong and KavaJian Tibetan Carpet)