Sculptures you can't churn out in a hurry
Watching the annual display of butter sculptures has been a traditional way for the Tibetans to celebrate their New Year. The Tar Monastery in Xining of Northwest China's Qinghai Province is the most renowned place for butter sculptures.
The grand display attracts 100,000 locals and tourists each year, but elder lamas in the monastery worry that this tradition, which has lasted some 400 years, is endangered as few young lamas are willing to learn the complicated art.
Butter sculpture originated from Tibet and was introduced to the Tar Monastery, also known as Kumbum Monastery, in the early 17th century. Many monasteries in China make butter sculptures, but those from the Tar Monastery excel in technique and scale.
In the past, the elderly lamas would lead the younger students to create new works featuring fresh techniques each year, according to Rabgye Gyaltsen, a 41-year-old lama who specializes in making butter sculptures.
But as the older generation passed away, the middle-aged and younger lamas have only followed the old rules. Making breakthroughs has been very difficult, said Gyaltsen.
Shakabri, a lama with the monastery, said there are less than 40 lamas specializing in butter sculpture. But in the past, the two academies in the Tar Monastery once had over 100 lamas working on the butter sculptures.
Making butter sculptures is itself a daunting task. As butter made from yak or goat milk melts in warm weather, butter sculptures have to be made in the coldest months of the year. To sculpt butter, lamas must dip their hands in icy water. Only with numb hands can they begin the sculpting.
In sub-zero temperature rooms, the elderly lamas and their students first prepare the frame of sculpture with bamboo sticks, ropes and others. Then they mix old butter sculptures with wheat ashes to form black mud, which is used to make the primitive body of the sculptures.
After modifying the base, the lamas apply colorful butter onto it. The figurines are outlined with gold and silver powder. Finally the small parts are fixed onto the frame with iron wire.
As the creation lasts some three months in winter, many lamas' fingers have been deformed while preparing a grand display.
The administration committee of the Tar Monastery, where Shakabri is a member, is trying to improve the skills of the lamas and attract more novices. One of the ideas is to hold a contest of butter sculptures made by the two academies.
The Tar Monastery is applying to list its butter sculpture as an intangible cultural heritage of the UNESCO. By raising awareness, it is hoped that the beautiful butter flowers will melt people's hearts, rather than melt away.
Liu Jun
(China Daily 05/23/2007 page19)
