Welcome to the Qinghai Regong Art and Culture Foundation

China - Qinghai's - official foundation for Tibetan Cultural Art and Heritage
Regong Art Foundation

Regong Art

Starting since 15th century or even earlier, Regong Art is an important part of Tibetan Buddism. It includes tangka, duxiu (embroidery), carvings, architecture, frescos,.

Tanka painting originally developed in Tongren town, Huangnan Tibetan autonomous region, Qinghai. This area is also known as Regong. The population of this area is 210,000 of which 190,000 are Tibetans. For hundreds of years the Tibetans here have been producing their art which is very distinctive. Over 80% of the male population are skilled craftsman that have carried on the traditional Regong art which is also part of their religion and way of life.

For hundreds of years the Tibetans living on the plateau here has finely developed the art of painting Tangkas, the style of art is known as Regong art. Regong art has spread to many parts of China and other parts of the world such as Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Nepal, India, Mongolia. Any where there is Tibetan Buddhism, you will be able to find Regong art.

There are over 100 Regong artist engaging in painting Tangkas in our foundation and keeping this art alive. The Tangkas are very incredibly beautiful and has magnificent colors that give off an aura of beauty and serenity like no other painting. Regong art expresses its spirit from the Tibetan culture and is a precious living art that is rich in history, culture and religion.

The China Qinghai Regong Art and Tangka Foundation was established to protect this heritage and art for future generations. In the China Qinghai Regong Art and Tanka Foundation association there over 1200 members and of those 30 grand master artist. Our main goal for our foundation is to bring you the Regong beautiful art and importantly to preserve this invaluable art and culture from being lost.

Tangka is from the Tibetan pronunciation and is the special painting of the Tibetan culture. It is unlike any other art in the world because of its historical and cultural implications.

There are four steps that make a Tangka.

Prepare cloth - Cloth is chosen and mounted on wood frame and stretched, either silk cloth or canvas and glue is applied to the cloth. The glue will also stop moisture and will be the base color of the painting.

Foundation line drawing - A Grid is made following the guide lines from book of iconometry and sutras. Positional lines are then drawn with charcoal pencil and black ink.

Color - Color is applied with light color first darker later. The gold lines are the last to be applied. The ink used is all natural using elements such as gold, silver pearl, coral, agate, gems, and natural ink such as saffron, rubarb, etc. This is very hard to find and brings to the high value of the Tangka. Natural coloring help keep the paintings colors from fading and gives it its natural glow.

The last step is the eyes. The eyes are done by a lama according to strict guidelines with different techniques depending on image drawn.

Depending on the image drawn, on auspicious an day the Tangka is brought to the Eminent Lama and sutras are recited to embody the prayers to the Buddha or deity in the painting. This in Chinese is know as “kai gong”.

The final touch is the mounting of the Tangka. A yellow silk lining is mounted to the painting for protection.

Each Tangka is done to strict requirements as taught and inherited by previous generations of artist. There are 4 elements that is in each painting– earth, eater, fire, and wind, and also there are three parts, one heaven, earth and hell. The layout of the tangkas is very special. The head itself is 12 finger in width. A sitting budda is 5 face width and the standing budda is 9 face width in proportion. The scenery around each tangka has its meaning.

Tibetan Buddhism is a way of life and the Regong art of painting Tangkas are also a way of life for these people that live in the plateaus. Each painting has its own story and embodies the spirit of Buddhism. We hope that you can take part in our endeavor to protect this art and also to spread its glory to the whole world.