Exhibition showcases Tibetan ethnic costumes

A costume in the exhibition is typical of those worn by nomadic women in Tibet's Amdo county.[Photos by Palden Nyima/China Daily]

An exhibition of ethnic costumes at the Art Museum of Tibet showcases 130 pieces of clothing from the region that includes the Tibetan, Lhoba and Monba ethnicities.

The show, part of a celebration of China's 9th Heritage Day that fell on Saturday, allows visitors to not only see what Tibetans wear in different areas and ways of life, but also offers a glimpse of ancient costumes, the museum said.

"The show is fantastic, because it is a visual feast for visitors from outside and young Tibetans, who could broaden their outlook by viewing the rich Tibetan dress culture," said Tashi Dorje, a teacher from the No 1 Vocational Skills Training School of Lhasa.

Garment makers accredited as cultural inheritors of Tibetan and Lhoba ethnic costumes have been invited to the museum to display how the clothing is produced.

Launched in 2006, Heritage Day falls on the second Saturday of each June and is celebrated across China to preserve and nurture cultural heritage.

In addition to the costume exhibition, which ends on June 21, 123 people were accredited on Saturday as inheritors of intangible culture in Lhasa's Norbulingka Palace, in the Tibet autonomous region.

Pema Dawa, a master of thangka painting, was endorsed as an inheritor of Chentse-styled thangka.

He said he is glad the government is paying great attention to the preservation of traditional arts such as Chentse-styled thangka, which dates from the mid-15th century.

"It is superior at outlining the fierce expressions in the paintings, and it has the influence of the artistic styles of both Nepalese and Han," Pema Dawa said.