The Great Tangka of Tibetan Art And Culture of China: The World’s Longest Thangka, a Flowing Epic of Tibetan Culture
In the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum, there is a treasure trove of a world-shaking artistic masterpiece — The Great Tangka of Tibetan Art And Culture of China. This 618-meter-long and 2.5-meter-wide thangka scroll not only captivates the world with its scale, but also stands as an immortal monument to Tibetan culture due to its profound content and exquisite craftsmanship.
An Unprecedented Artistic Project
Regular thangkas are usually no more than one square meter in size, yet The Great Tangka of Tibetan Art And Culture of China has created a miracle in the history of painting. It consists of 710 independent yet interconnected panel paintings, depicting over 180,000 human figures. The creation process required a 500-square-meter dedicated hall, 8 custom-made steel frames operating simultaneously, and the collaborative efforts of more than 300 artists. From planning to completion, it took a full 20 years — a project of unprecedented scale.
An Encyclopedia of Tibetan Culture
The scroll covers a vast array of topics: from the formation of the universe and the origin of humanity to the succession of Tibetan kings throughout history; from the inheritance of various schools of Tibetan Buddhism to Tibetan language and writing, Tibetan medicine, and astronomical and calendar calculations; from folk legends to folk life. It can be called a “history of Tibetan civilization painted with a brush.” Among its content, religious themes account for more than 60%, presenting the complete development context of Tibetan Buddhism.
Breakthroughs and Innovations in Craftsmanship
While inheriting the traditional painting rules of thangkas, the work boldly integrates the techniques of Chinese meticulous heavy-color painting and Western painting. For the first time, it systematically applies the principles of perspective and light-dark relationships in thangka creation. Most astonishing is its delicate brushwork: in the densest sections, over 300 human figures are painted per square meter, and a square inch (a traditional Chinese unit of area) contains as many as 2,480 brushstrokes. Some details can only be clearly seen with the help of a magnifying glass.
A Crystallization of Ethnic Wisdom
The entire work uses natural mineral and plant pigments — precious materials such as gold, silver, coral, agate, and saffron. This ensures that the scroll retains its brilliant colors through the ages. What is even more remarkable is that the work brought together masters from major painting schools in Tibetan areas, breaking the historical pattern of each school operating independently and achieving a great integration of artistic styles.
This masterpiece, certified by the “Guinness World Records” as a “world’s best,” is not only a source of pride for the Tibetan people, but also a precious artistic treasure of the Chinese nation. It proves to us that when devout faith meets persistent craftsmanship, it can create eternal beauty that transcends time and space.
