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·The Treasury of Tibetan Culture & Arts[2019-11-23]

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Tibetan paper: Inheriting thousands of years of Tibetan culture and history

 2019-11-19 21:23  | From: DegeParkhang  | Writer: Dege  |   Hits


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Chamaejasme, the Tibetan word for "AGyiaoRuGyiao", has a very high appearance value when it is in full bloom, but its roots, stems, and leaves are all poisonous. Even the sheep who are "like life in grass" dislike it very much and walk around it.

If it grows elsewhere, maybe it will always be a useless poisonous grass. Fortunately, however, it met the hardworking and intelligent Tibetans. They just take a fancy to its poisonous roots, which are the best raw materials for making Tibetan paper.

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The Tibetans dug up the chamaejasme from the soil and removed the stems, leaves and flowers, leaving only the roots.

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Then the root of Stellera chamaejasme was hammered soft with a stone hammer, then the skin was removed with a sharp knife, and the slightly yellow root tissue like the dried squid silk was extracted.

Then put it into the pot and cook it, then take it up, wring out the water, and then slowly smash it with stones to make pulp.

Then, put the prepared pulp into water for dilution, do not stop mixing the stick evenly, filter it with gauze, and then put it in the sun for drying.

Then, put the prepared pulp into water for dilution, do not stop mixing the stick evenly, filter it with gauze, and then put it in the sun for drying. After sunbathing on the plateau, tear off the dried Tibetan paper gently in the "rustle", and then polish it carefully to handle the glossiness and softness of the paper. 

Finally, the paper with toughness, no fear of moth, no fading, easy storage and time-honored was born.

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It is because of the existence of Tibetan paper that Tibetan thousand year history can be completely preserved and inherited.

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Most of these Tibetan papers, with sacred mission, have been sent to the Dege Sutra-Printing House, which is known as "Encyclopedia of Tibetan culture" and "the bright cultural pearl of Tibetan area".

The paper is made of the root-hairs of "AGyiaoRuGyiao" (Stellera chamaejasme L.), which consist of three layers, namely, the inner layer, the middle layer and the outside layer. Paper made of the middle layer is fine and smooth and very white, being first-class paper specially used as official document paper by the Dege headman. Paper made of the inner and outside layers belongs to the second class to be mainly used for printing in the Dege Sutra-Printing House. And paper made of all the three layers of root hairs is thick and coarse called the third-class paper which is usually used for making packing-papers foPrimitive printing course of block printsr Sutra-volumes or Prayer Flags paintings. 

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The unique Tibetan paper, the engraved plate with the painstaking efforts of the craftsmen, the smoke and ink made from the bark of the Rhododendron tree, and the ancient printing technology, all of which have been passed down for a long time.

These sutras, which are mixed with the aroma of butter and ink, came out of Dege Sutra-Printing House and spread to the hands of believers all over the world to fulfill their respective missions. The part left in Dege Parkhang is carefully guarded.


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After condensing the wisdom of Tibetans, Stellera, a poisonous herb on the plateau, turned into useful Tibetan paper and witnessed the historical changes of Tibetan culture.



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