www.chinaview.cn 2009-02-11 10:59:22

BEIJING, Feb. 11(Xinhuanet) -- The Butter Sculpture Show, a miracle of Tibet, open at the Ta'er Monastery, in northwest China's Qinghai Province, appealed to 150,000 visitors in this Lantern Festival.

The Ta'er Monastery, a renowned holy place for Tibetan Buddhism, holds an exhibition of butter sculptures every year to celebrate the traditional festival.

Butter sculpture, fresco and piled-up embroidery, are referred to as the three representative arts in the monastery. The sculptures take diverse shapes such as Buddha statues, ancient people, flowers, birds, and pavilions which are generally created to illustrate theme stories. They have been developing as the Chinese government steps up the protection of the intangible cultural heritages and Tibetan culture.

According to Jianzan Angdan, a deputy director of the Managing Committee of the Ta'er Monastery, in recent years more than 100,000 people visited the sculpture shows during the Lantern Festival annually and this year some 150,000 went there.

"It's unimaginable for a government to renovate a monastery with such a huge investment in any time before the founding of New China. The art treasures of Tibetan Buddhism like butter sculpture are able to develop and to be carried forward only because of such a favorable environment," he added.

As the butter sculptures are all made in subzero conditions, deformities will crop up when temperature rises above 15 degrees centigrade. The pieces can be preserved for one month even in winter, making it very hard to spread this kind of art in old days.

"Now, with the energetic support of the government, the monastery has exclusively set up the Butter Sculpture Hall with air-conditioners, making it possible to maintain the sculptures for more than one year. As a result, visitors now can enjoy our works at Ta'er Monastery all year round," a monk artisan said.

In 2006, butter sculpture was included in the first group of national intangible cultural heritages. An official from the Culture Department of Qinghai Province said the local government plans to consider and formulate measures to more effectively protect and boost this art.

As the butter sculptures are all made in subzero conditions, deformities will crop up when temperature rises above 15 degrees centigrade. The pieces can be preserved for one month even in winter, making it very hard to spread this kind of art in old days.

"Now, with the energetic support of the government, the monastery has exclusively set up the Butter Sculpture Hall with air-conditioners, making it possible to maintain the sculptures for more than one year. As a result, visitors now can enjoy our works at Ta'er Monastery all year round," a monk artisan said.

In 2006, butter sculpture was included in the first group of national intangible cultural heritages. An official from the Culture Department of Qinghai Province said the local government plans to consider and formulate measures to more effectively protect and boost this art.