The art of Zangniang thangka and the art of Rekong thangka are outstanding representatives of Tibetan Buddhist art. In the process of inheritance and development, they have played an important role in expounding and promoting the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. At the same time, they also play an important role in inheriting and enriching the excellent cultural heritage of national traditions. The two have similarities in many aspects, but they also have their own styles and characteristics. The Zangniang area is located in the north of Jiegu Town, the capital of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, about 120 kilometers north along the Tongtian River. In the Xiege Village of this area, there is a Tibetan Buddhist Sakya sect temple called Sangzhou Temple, which has a history of nearly 1,000 years and now has more than 20 monks living there. The Zangniang Ancient Pagoda owned by the temple is one of the famous religious holy places in the Tibetan area, and its reputation has spread to India, Nepal, Mongolia and other places. At the end of the 10th century AD, when the Indian Buddhist master Panchen Midigana came to the Zangniang area to preach, he taught the painting skills of thangka to the local people. Panchen Midigana was a great scholar who was proficient in the ten sciences, especially the science of craftsmanship. He taught his disciples Buddhism, clay sculpture, pottery, architecture, grammar, and the structural forms of Buddhist temples and pagodas. While teaching thangka, murals, carving and clay sculpture, he personally made many masterpieces. For example, he once inlaid a three-dimensional Buddha statue carved from white stone on a pea-sized black stone, which was recorded in history and became a legend in the Buddhist world. Therefore, Tibetan Buddhist painting art is quite charming and famous. According to records, Tibetan Buddhist painting inherited the style of Panchen Midigana, while Rekong art inherited the style of Pandita Dararinwa. The composition form, expression method, material and coloring of Buddhist paintings in the two places are very similar, and it is difficult to distinguish them if you are not an expert in the industry. According to the appraisal of relevant experts, the style characteristics of Tibetan Buddhist painting art are strict measurement of statues, bright colors, thick background, and thick and full images; the rendering technique is used, the layers are rich and delicate, and the gray is used to express the skin; the characters and hair have virtual and real changes, and the rhythm of the image edge is very rich. Symbolism is widely used as one of the artistic expression techniques. Although there are serious differences in the inheritance lineage since Banqin Midigana, the two artists Reen and Ladai have enjoyed the reputation of "illusion painters" as inheritors in a certain period. They are proud of the successive generations of Tibetan painters. There is a famous thangka in Sangzhou Temple named "Gongbao Xiezha" (meaning the talking master), which is hidden somewhere as the treasure of the temple. It is said that it was painted by two thangka art masters, Zhien and Ladai. In addition, the temple also treasures eight works of these two masters, namely "Padmasambhava No. 8". Due to the existence of these works, Sangzhou Temple is more ancient and mysterious. At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, the famous thangka art master who enjoyed the reputation of "dream painter" in the Zangniang area was Mayan Quzhu. His painting achievements and merits were recorded in detail in the inscription of the newly built Sutra Hall of Sangzhou Temple. Due to the fame of the Zangniang Pagoda, the thangka art in the Zangniang area is called the Zangniang thangka art. Zangniang thangka artists are scattered in various villages and communities. According to the legend of the Zangniang Pagoda, the folk painting art on a large scale in this area has a history of nearly a thousand years. The painters here mainly paint works with Tibetan Buddhism as the theme, while also taking into account the paint and color painting of folk houses. Many villagers have a certain number of ancient thangkas in their homes. The painting age of the thangka ranges from decades to hundreds of years ago. The color, texture, theme and style of the ancient thangka bring a shock and excitement to those who are used to seeing modern thangkas, which makes people dazzled, unable to put it down, and sigh. Ancient thangkas use natural mineral pigments, and their colors remain unchanged over time; the themes and styles seem less standardized and restrained than modern thangka paintings, so they are full of life and appear fresh and interesting. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)