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Dege and Its Role in Tibetan Culture

Remembering an obscure region's contributions to a unique culture.

[Originally appeared in the magazine China Today, January 1998]

BY YANG JIAMING

DEGE, in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province, is located on the southwestern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, on the upper reaches of the Jinsha and Yalong rivers. To the west is Tibet itself, the language of which has given Dege its name, "land of mercy." Dege was named after the Dege clan. Historically, Dege was one of three ancient centers of Tibetan culture, together with Lhasa and the city of Xiahe in Gansu.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the influence of the Dege clan covered several counties at the juncture of present-day Sichuan, Tibet and Qinghai. Dege County today sits at the heart of this ancient domain.

The Dege Scripture Printing House

The town of Gengqing on the reaches of the Sequ River is 500 years old, and is now the county seat of Dege. The 30-kilometer river valley was the original preserve of the Dege clan. Gengqing became a holy site in Tibetan Buddhism because it had a printing house for turning out scriptures.

The foundation for the printing house was laid in 1729, and construction took 21 years. The main structure is a four-story building with more than 30 rooms. The first floor consists of several sutra halls where Buddha and the ancestors of the Dege clan are worshipped. The second and third floors have rooms for proofreading, engraving blocks, printing and binding, plus administrative offices. The fourth floor is used to air the printed pages.

The Dege Scripture Printing House' has 217,000 engraved blocks in its archives, including classics from different sects of Tibetan Buddhism. It has 100,000 blocks for books on Tibetan culture, science and technology, history, biographies, medicine, mathematics, language, and various other works. It is estimated that materials stored at Dege make up 70 percent of Tibet's literary heritage. Because of its role in preserving Tibetan culture, Dege ranks together with the Sakya Monastery and the Potala Palace in Lhasa in historic and cultural significance.

Carvers at work making printing blocks in Dege.

The printing blocks preserved at the Dege Scripture Printing House include those from Gagyur and Danjur (engraved in the 18th century); historical classics such as The History of Buddhism of the Han Inhabited Regions and The History of Indian Buddhism (a text which cannot even be found in India any longer); medical classics such as Sapphire, A Collection of Medical Works; ancient mathematical texts such as White Gem; literary and linguistic classics such as Models of Poetry and Logic; and the memoirs of Tibetan monks from various dynasties. During this century pa rts of these works have been reprinted in China, Japan, Russia and India, providing important research materials on Tibetan studies.

Tibetan Buddhism consists of five main sects: Ningma, Sakya, Kagyu, Gelu and Benbo. All five sects were treated equally by the Dege clan, and conflicts amon g these schools of thought were rare in Dege. The Dege Printing House collected and printed classics belonging to various sects, and the region itself eventually became home to more than 200 temples, some of which still stand in good condition, ready to greet the faithful.

Kagtuo Temple was built in 1162 and is located in present-day Baiyu County. It belonged to the Dege clan and is still one of the six major temples of the Ningma Sect. Affiliated temples

can be found in many Tibetan communities in Sichuan, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan, and in such countries as India, Mongolia and Bhutan. Gengqing Temple, located in Gengqing itself, was built by the Dege clan, with the abbot being the eldest son of each generation of the clan. In 1986, the central government allocated money to build a new main hall, and the temple now has more than 300 monks. Other well-known temples in the Dege area include Babang Temple and Dengqing Temple, the latter being more than 1,000 years old.

These temples are centers of Tibetan Buddhism in the Kangba area. Many prominent monks from other Tibetan inhibited areas come to visit Dege, and the local monks also 90 out to spread Buddhism. The Dege area has become a famous Buddhist center.

Gesar's Birthplace

The epic, Gesar, is the greatest work of Tibetan literature, a folk tale 25 times the length of the Iliad. Gesar is easily the lengthiest epic in the world, and also became popular in ballads among the Mongols and Tus.

Gesar was a story several centuries in the making, based on the religious beliefs of the Tibetans. The Potala Palace still has a statue of Gesar, drawing pilgrims every day. Gesar was the king of Ling in the 11th century, and more of his deeds were recorded in the Kangba region than anywhere else. Handwritten and printed versions of Gesar from Dege are considered the most authoritative works, and in Dege, people still argue that the village of Ngaxu in northern Dege County was the birthplace of Gesar, the center of the Ling Kingdom and- the birthplace of -the epic. The Lingcanc, clan, who call themselves descendants of Gesar, have been living, in this area for several centuries.

These ruins (right) on the Beichhu River in Dege are said to have belonged to Nyesa Aden, nephew to King Gesar.

Many legends about Gesar still circulate in Dege. On weddings and birthday celebrations balladiers are invited to sing Gesar, with even the shorter pieces lasting for hours (longer versions last several days). Naturally, a balladier needs an excellent memory to recite the scores of chapters. During work breaks, on trips, or in the evenings, locals enjoy telling stories about Gesar. Besides Gesar, other Tibetan stories, songs and dances flourish in the Dege area. Some eulogize faithfulness and love, others reflect people's desire for beautiful things.

In Tibetan painting, the "Ga" school stands out. It is a relatively new school, having risen in the 15th century by borrowing techniques from Chinese painters. Its influence expanded after the 16th century, and in the 17th century several Ga masters appeared in Dege. The Babang Temple remains the center of the Ga school, and their works have been collected by many other temples in Dege.

Mural in the Dege Printing House. Due to damage, some portions of the figure had to be repainted.

YANG JIAMING is a professor at the Kangding Nationalities Normal School.