Sichuan's Tibetans cashing in on crafts

CHENGDU — Tucked away in the snowy valley of Maisu township, Dege county in the Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture, the Khyenle Guesthouse on the scenic Sichuan-Xizang Highway is buzzing with activity.

"We've been fully booked recently with magazine teams and social media influencers coming to capture our culture," says Dawa Drolma, the young Tibetan proprietor.

Dawa Drolma is from a family steeped in the ancient craft of Lima copper casting. This intricate technique, involving a blend of gold, silver, tin, zinc and other metals, has been passed down for six generations in her family.

Despite its beauty, she grew up understanding the challenge of taking such treasures beyond her hometown. The aspiration took her to the United States in 2013, where she pursued marketing and business management studies.

Taking a global perspective, including an internship at the Smithsonian Institution, she drafted a business plan for a workshop which she called Khyenle. In 2017, armed with new skills and insight, she returned home, determined to transform the family workshop.

Dawa Drolma and her brother expanded the workshop, introduced new product designs and embraced online platforms to reach a wider audience.

Today, their Lima copper creations, from traditional Buddhist statues to modern cultural merchandise, are sold worldwide. The workshop has become profitable, paying off family debts and creating opportunities for local artisans, contributing to community prosperity.

"When I was a child, career aspirations were unclear for most of us. Now, many children dream of becoming artisans," the young businesswoman says.

Maisu has some 30 handicraft workshops and around 2,000 artisans skilled in traditions such as copper casting, black pottery, yak hair weaving. The Maisu Handicraft brand, registered by Dege county, is paving the way for the Tibetan cultural industry.

Dawa Drolma and her brother are leading examples of the blend of tradition and innovation in Garze, a hub of intangible cultural heritage, which is home to 555 items listed in various heritage directories.

The prefecture is also home to 11 national-level inheritors, 101 provincial-level inheritors, and 595 at the prefectural level. Over 20,000 people are engaged in traditional crafts, placing the prefecture at the forefront of Sichuan province.

In Litang county, young entrepreneurs Silang Qoezhoen and Zhoima Lhamo have been running a project since 2018 that helps local Tibetan women produce artisanal soaps made from yak milk and butter.

The soaps, which visitors have nicknamed "Gifts from the Plateau", highlight the region's cultural heritage and growing entrepreneurial landscape.

"Many of these women spent their lives herding and doing household chores," says Zhoima Lhamo, adding that now, they not only contribute to their family incomes but also develop their self-worth.

Over the years, Garze has made significant strides in preserving and promoting its intangible cultural heritage. Efforts to cultivate a diverse group of grassroots inheritors are underway, alongside developing dynamic methods for living heritage transmission.

Xinhua