In a workshop in Southwest China's Sichuan province, a discarded aluminum can left behind by a guest at a village homestay is melted down and recast as a snow leopard, using the ancient craft of Lima copper casting. The intricate technique has been practiced by Dawa Drolma's family for seven generations. It involves blending gold, silver, tin, zinc and other metals.
For centuries, Lima copper was used mainly for Buddhist statues and ritual objects. Dawa Drolma and her brother have since introduced rings, necklaces and pendants, bringing a craft once associated with temples into everyday life. The transformation reflects a broader trend across China's Tibetan-inhabited regions, as a new generation of artisans and entrepreneurs adapts centuries-old traditions for contemporary markets, while preserving the techniques and stories that define them.
Dawa Drolma grew up witnessing the challenges of bringing these treasures beyond her hometown. The aspiration took her to the United States in 2013, where she pursued marketing and business management studies.
She returned to Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture four years later, determined to transform the family workshop. "Young Tibetans today understand both our own traditions and the outside world," she said. "That allows us to build a bridge between them." Maisu township, where her workshop is based, is home to over 30 handicraft workshops and over 2,000 artisans skilled in copper casting, black pottery, incense-making, yak-hair weaving and more.
The "Maisu Handicraft" brand, registered by Dege county, has brought greater visibility to these traditional crafts, while drawing visitors and study groups from home and abroad. Innovation, however, has meant more than finding new customers. The recycled aluminum used in Dawa Drolma's snow leopard sculpture comes from beverage cans left behind by guests at a nearby homestay. Blended with traditional Lima copper, it has given the centuries-old craft a new form of expression.
