Starting the painting career in 1992, Pasang, a Thangka painter and inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, never stopped painting in the past 25 years. From dawn to sunset, he devotes himself to the painting. Pasang is a Thangka painter and inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, and he is also the owner of a Thangka shop at the Barkor Street in Lhasa, capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region. Light of the energy-saving lamp on the top, like the sunshine, illuminates the house and lights up the Thangka paintings hanging on the wall. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Pasang’s Barkor Traditional Thangka Studio lies in the compartment beside the shop. Students sitting in every corner of the room are either drafting or coloring. Currently, there are 20 students learning here. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Pasang has been fascinated with the Buddhist figures and bright colors of Thangka since his childhood. In 1992, he came to Tibet University and became a student of Tenpa Redan, a master of Thangka painting. He started learning the basic painting skills and studied there for five years. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Pasang threw himself in Thangka painting during his study with his teacher. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

It is not easy insisting on painting. Pasang could still remember the bitterness during his school-days. As a result, he charges no tuition fee for the students coming to learn Thangka. Besides, for the needy ones, he provides free food and accommodation. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Thangka is a unique painting art form of Tibetan culture. Containing the history, religion, culture and social life of Tibetan people, Thangka is hailed as the encyclopedia on the painting canvas of Tibetan ethnic group. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

In April, Pasang and his students started painting a long scroll of Thangka in a studio in the Education City in Lhasa. Coloring requires meticulous skills. They have been coloring the painting over the past two months. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

During the coloring process, the painter needs to color the large chunks first, including the clothes of figures, sky, still life and ground. The faces are the last to be colored. To make one color renders different degrees of brightness, the painted part will be added with extra powders. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Pasang has witnessed the development of Thangka sector. He requires his students to remain calm, and focus on the lines and colors of their paintings rather than the dream of being a famous painter. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Drawing a Thangka painting takes time. A small one may cost three to five weeks while a large one three to five years. Without affection, persistence and a devout mind, one can hardly insist on painting. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

To expand his mind and provide better teaching, Pasang usually travels to other places to collect folk customs and visit exhibitions, thus to gain creative inspiration. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Pasang knows a lot about frescos of monasteries. From 1995 to 2001, he spent seven years in traveling around Tibet. His works can be seen in Lhasa, Shannan, Nagchu and Nyingchi. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

When visiting monasteries, he introduces frescoes to monks, in the way of painting art and technique rather than religion and history. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Delineating is the most important procedure of Thangka painting. The process is complicated and requires a lot in strokes. Sometimes, it requires hard lines, and sometimes soft lines. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Painters like to use gold and silver to delineate. They usually grind the gold in powder, mix it with water and glue. The gold powder will be painted on the canvas. With a jewelry pen point to polish, the golden lines will make the Thangka shine with dazzling brilliancy. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

The students in this studio have been studying with Pasang for at least 16 years. Though they can draw Thangka independently, they are unwilling to leave the teacher and start their own career. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

Pasang has had less time working with his students over the past few years. Students are delighted to work with their teacher this time, for they can learn more things. (Photo/ China Tibet News)

“These students choose Thangka as their life career. I will not stop them from pursuing their dream, which is also mine,” said Pasang. (Photo/ China Tibet News)