A colorful life

While most thangka artists in the Tibet autonomous region are men, the work of producing the mineral pigments, and therefore the colors they use, is done exclusively by women.

At a pigment-production workshop at Lhasa Ancient Architectural Art Co, five women sang a traditional Tibetan song as they ground ores into fine powder.

Although the work is physically demanding and requires great patience and application, none of the women looked tired or bored. Instead, they worked enthusiastically and harmoniously because they believe their work has a spiritual dimension.