Thangka mounting is not merely a craft decoration, but an important artistic link deeply integrated into the historical process, religious beliefs, and cultural exchanges of the Tibetan people. Its development context and cultural connotation have always been closely connected with the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, the changes of Tibetan society, and the integration of multi-ethnic cultures, forming a unique cultural system that combines practicality, religious nature, and aesthetics.
I. Historical Origin: Born from the Need for Protection and Inheritance of Thangka Art
The origin of thangka mounting synchronizes with the development of thangka painting art, which can be traced back to ancient Tibetan society. Early thangkas were mostly painted by monks themselves, with the core function of serving as religious carriers enshrined in temples and spiritual sustenance for believers' practice and contemplation. Their painting materials were mostly silk or paper, which were fragile and vulnerable to erosion by the dry climate, temperature changes in the plateau area, and wear during transportation. To extend the preservation life of thangkas and ensure the long-term continuity of their religious functions, monks gradually explored basic mounting methods such as sewing silk edges and adding scrolls, which is the embryonic form of thangka mounting craftsmanship.
With the prosperity of Tibetan Buddhism and the maturity of thangka art, the mounting craftsmanship gradually developed from a simple "protective means" to a systematic "art form". From the initial basic processes that only met the preservation needs, it gradually formed a complete process including fixed components such as Gongxia, Jiazhou, Dunga, and Tangxin. The size ratio, material selection, and decoration specifications have all formed clear paradigms, becoming an indispensable "completion link" of thangka art — an unmounted thangka is never regarded as a complete religious work of art and cannot enter formal enshrinement and practice scenarios.
II. Religious Core: Concrete Expression of Faith Rituals and Spiritual Symbols
The core cultural attribute of thangka mounting is the concrete presentation of Tibetan Buddhist beliefs. Every mounting component and craft detail carries profound religious symbolic significance, forming a cultural characteristic of "craft as ritual". For example, the "Jiazhou" ribbons, which mean "rainbow" in Tibetan, were initially blue, yellow, and red, corresponding to the "Three Realms" in Tibetan Buddhism (Desire Realm, Form Realm, Formless Realm), symbolizing a spiritual bridge connecting the secular and the sacred; the "Dunga" brocade inlaid in the center of the lower section of Gongxia, which means "ladder to heaven" in Chinese, implies a practice path that guides all sentient beings to escape suffering and reach the Buddhist realm. The fixed specifications of its position and size are essentially the spatial expression of religious doctrines.
From the perspective of religious rituals, after the completion of thangka mounting, it usually needs to go through sacred links such as monks reciting scriptures for blessing and stamping golden juice or cinnabar handprints on the back. Therefore, the mounting craftsmanship has become an important precondition and supplement to religious rituals. In addition, the strict selection of materials (such as high-quality silk and gold and silver threads) and the rigorous control of processes in the mounting process all reflect piety towards religious beliefs — in Tibetan cultural cognition, only by completing the mounting with extreme reverence can the thangka truly become a sacred carrier "bearing gods and wisdom".
III. Cultural Integration: A Witness to the Exchange and Integration of Han-Tibetan and Multi-Ethnic Crafts and Aesthetics
The development process of thangka mounting craftsmanship is also a vivid witness to the exchange and integration of Han-Tibetan and multi-ethnic cultures. From the perspective of material selection, the gold and silver thread fabrics used in the core mounting component "Gongxia" are mostly produced in inland areas and introduced to Tibet through trade routes such as the Tea-Horse Road, becoming direct physical evidence of Han-Tibetan material cultural exchanges; from the perspective of craft techniques, processes such as silk sewing and scroll making in thangka mounting absorb the essence of traditional scroll painting mounting techniques in inland areas, and at the same time combine with Tibetans' own aesthetic needs for localized transformation, forming a unique style of "taking Han craftsmanship as the foundation and Tibetan aesthetics as the core".
This cultural integration is also reflected in the innovation of decorative elements. The three-color patterned brocade used in Jiazhou ribbons in the later period and the alternating sewing process of red, yellow, and blue silk on the face cover not only retain the traditional preference of Tibetans for auspicious colors but also integrate the pattern design concepts of inland brocade weaving. Therefore, thangka mounting has become a cross-regional cultural medium, organically integrating inland textile techniques, Tibetan religious aesthetics, and plateau survival wisdom, forming a diverse and integrated cultural characteristic.
IV. Social Value: A Carrier for the Inheritance of Tibetan Cultural Identity and Aesthetic System
In the long historical process, thangka mounting craftsmanship has transcended the categories of religion and art and become an important symbol of Tibetan cultural identity and a core part of the aesthetic system. In Tibetan society, thangka mounting is not only a "standard craft" for temples and halls but also penetrates into the cultural life of ordinary Tibetan families — hanging a completely mounted thangka in the home hall or manor shrine is an important way for Tibetan families to express their beliefs and inherit culture. The exquisiteness and standardization of the mounting also become a symbol of the family's cultural literacy and piety.
At the same time, thangka mounting craftsmanship has been passed down from generation to generation through master-apprentice teaching and family inheritance, accurately conveying Tibetans' aesthetic concepts, manual skills, and cultural memories. On the basis of following traditional norms, each generation of mounting artists integrates their own understanding of religion and life into the craft details, making the mounting art not only maintain the stability of the core tradition but also have the vitality of keeping pace with the times, becoming an important link for maintaining the inheritance of Tibetan culture.
V. Modern Continuity: Living Inheritance and Cultural Communication Value of Traditional Crafts
Entering modern society, the cultural value of thangka mounting craftsmanship has been further expanded. On the basis of retaining the essence of traditional techniques, the mounting craftsmanship not only absorbs modern materials and technological means (such as environmentally friendly adhesives and constant temperature drying technology) to improve the preservation effect but also integrates with modern aesthetics through cross-border innovation, allowing thangka art to go out of temples and halls and become an important window to show the charm of Tibetan culture. As a core component of the "complete form" of thangka art, the mounting craftsmanship not only ensures the restoration and inheritance of ancient thangkas but also helps modern thangka art to go to the whole country and even the world, making this craft form carrying Tibetan history and beliefs an important carrier for multi-ethnic cultural exchanges and mutual learning among human civilizations.