Recently, the “fingertips of charm” Tibetan Thangka master Karma Delek came to the opening of the master and apprentice exhibition in Lhasa, which featured more than 60 works by Thangka masters and their apprentices. Thangka painting is a unique art form in Tibetan culture, with themes that cover Tibetan religion, history, culture, social life, and other areas, and is known as the “encyclopedia” of Tibetans.

The plan outlined by the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” (2016-2020) promotes “the construction of an exceptional Chinese traditional culture heritage system and carrying out the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional culture”.

Last year, the Tibet Thangka Academy joined with the Tibet Autonomous Region Culture Bureau, Tibet University, and other institutions to draft the “Tibetan Traditional Hand-Painted Thangka Area Standards”.

Wangqin, director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Quality Supervision and Standardization Institute, said that these standards apply to Thangka drawing, production, research, teaching, marketing, and other related fields, and stipulates the principles for classifying Thangkas, materials, and other content relating to production. The standards draft has already been submitted to the relevant departments, and will soon be fully implemented throughout Tibet. This will further promote the Thangka art heritage.