Making Tibetan Buddha statues in Baina Village

Baina Village is located in Dagzê County of Lhasa, Tibet. Villagers here came from Chamdo in east Tibet over 100 years ago and many live by making Buddha statues. Luobu Zhandui is the founder of Tibet Luozhan National Craft Development Co. Ltd, the largest local Buddha statue factory. Forty workers and students are employed at the factory.

Crowned as a "master of Chinese arts and crafts," Luobu Zhandui promotes Tibetan Buddha statue craftsmanship every year around China. Last year, he was also invited to the United States to attend the China Brand Show during the summer edition of the gift and home trade show in Los Angeles. The exhibition was designed to promote Chinese brands and products and enhance Sino-US trade and economic relations.

Buddha statue craftsmanship includes designing, modeling, casting, carving and gilding, which takes a craftsman at least 7-8 years to master, said Luobu Zhandui. The craftsmanship has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Tibet.