Liao Wenhua – Inheritor of Wooden Bowl-making Craft and Tibetan Painting Skill in Shangri-la County, Diqing
Profile of Liao Wenhua
Liao Wenhua (Tibetan name: Zhishi Dingzhu), male, Tibetan ethnicity, was born in 1967 in Shangqiaotou Village Group (上桥头村民小组), Xingfu Village (幸福村), Nixi Township (尼西乡), Shangri-La City (香格里拉市), Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (迪庆藏族自治州). He is a renowned inheritor of traditional Tibetan wooden bowl making and painting techniques.
Artistic Background
Trained by his grandfather in Thangka painting and wood carving since childhood, Liao later specialized in Buddhist iconography before dedicating himself to wooden bowl craftsmanship. Beginning at age nine, he mastered bowl-making to such proficiency that he could produce over 80 bowls daily, generating substantial annual income.
Wooden Bowl Craftsmanship
With origins tracing back over 1,000 years to Han artisans accompanying Princess Wencheng’s entourage, Shangri-La (香格里拉) wooden bowl making adapts Tibetan lifestyle needs using local materials. Shangqiaotou Village (上桥头村) in Nixi Township (尼西乡) is particularly celebrated for its vibrant, durable bowls featuring exquisite patterns.
The 12-step production process includes:
- Wood seasoning
- Rough shaping
- Boiling
- Precision carving
- Lacquering
- Hand-painting
Premium materials like paulownia, mulberry, and birch ensure:
- Exceptional hardness
- Smooth surfaces
- Distinct grain patterns
- Crack resistance
Product varieties have expanded from traditional:
- Tsampa boxes
- Chili containers
- Butter tea bowls
To modern tourist items: - Snuff bottles
- Bracelets
- Tea sets
A signature technique involves using natural lacquer (“raw lacquer” (土漆)) in auspicious red, yellow, and black hues – believed to invoke blessings.
Thangka Painting Skills
Beyond bowls, Liao excels in Tibetan painting, applying his skills to:
- Bowl decorations
- Religious artifacts
- Cultural handicrafts
Cultural Inheritance
As a provincial intangible cultural heritage inheritor, Liao:
- Trains apprentices in both crafts
- Develops local bowl-making industry
- Increases community incomes
With growing tourism and heritage recognition, Nixi Township (尼西乡)‘s wooden bowls have gained wider acclaim. Liao’s technical mastery and cultural dedication have significantly contributed to preserving Diqing’s (迪庆) intangible heritage.
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