Art in Shannan's Yarlung

　　Shannan's Yarlung is one of the birth places of Tibetan culture. Yarlung's culture and art has occupied an important place in its history of development.

Song and Dance

　　Changmo: This is an old song and dance tradition that has been spread throughout the Tibetan areas and has made inroads into some Mongolian areas. It originated at the Samye Monastery along the north bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River. After the completion of the Samye Monastery in the 8th century, in order to celebrate a victory for Buddhism, Padmasambhava created a dance in which people wear masks and holy clothes. it was first performed at the inauguration ceremony of the Samye Monastery. The dance style soon spread over Yarlung, and then over all parts of Tibet. Later it went to Mongolia and other places.

　　Choshio: This is a type of square dance. Dancers perform with a long handled drum fastening on their waist and beat the drum with two bend drum sticks. This style became popular in Yarlung and other parts of Tibet in the 17th century. It was performed at the inauguration ceremony of the Samye Monastery and was recorded in the Tibetan script. Legend has it that it was performed at the ceremony when Songtsan Gambo married Princess Wencheng. Over the past 1,000 years, the style has been handed down from generation to generation and has continued to thrive.

　　Gyibozholgar: It is also a type of ancient dance popularized in the Yarlung area. Dancers wear masks and brandlish knives or swords, or sometimes fight barehanded as they re-enact heroes in various battles.

　　Tibetan Opera: Yarlung is the home of Tibetan opera. Some 500 years ago, the eminent monk Tangdong Gyibo tried to raise funds to build a bridge. He organized young people in Bindain Village of Qoingyai County to perform for money. This performance gave birth to Tibetan Opera. Then through years of development, it has formed four large genres--white face, yellow face, blue face and black face, and has grown into eight large traditional repertoires. Nedong's Zhaxi Shoba, Qoingyai's Bindainba and white mask Tibetan operas have occupied an important place in the genre of Tibetan opera because of their time-honored history. They are well known far and near and have become the first perform at the annual Shoidain Festival.

　　In addition, there are songs and dances related to both work and celebration. There are love songs, songs of Lholang Dorcho for funeral ceremonies and songs for happy scenes, as well as the Yachiang yak dance pleading for a bumper harvest and the dance of Gorshie performed around a bonfire under the moonlight. Shannan's Gorshie dance is unique and enjoys a great influence around Tibet.

Painting and Sculpture

　　Painting: The murals and tangka paintings hanging in the monasteries of Shannan embody a local style of painting. The subjects include legends, religious themes, and production and life activities from the Tubo period to the Ming and Qing dynasties. They vividly describe the Tibetan people's social and religious history, as well as daily life and the means of production. The murals in the Woze Hall of the Samye Monastery, for example, not only include the Epic Painting of Tibet, the Epic Painting of Samye, and the Biography of Padmasambhava, but also Dances and Acrobatics, Weightlifting and Judo, Track and Field Competitions and Horseracing. They are vivid depiction of Tibetan historical development. The murals in the Buddhist Hall of the Zhatang Monastery, which was built in the 11th century, are reasonably arranged. The colors are faded simple, and the style and character resemble those found in the Dunhuang Grottoes. This style is rarely seen in Tibetan painting and therefore possesses great value to the study of Tibetan history, the Yarlung Culture, and the development of Tibetan buddhism.

　　Sculpture: Stone sculptures in Shannan and around Tibet are almost entirely related to religion. The Samye Monastery is home to some of the finest examples of stone sculpture in Tibet. It houses the greatest number and the most exquisite examples,including bass-relief and sculpture in the round. The subjects include birds, fish, other animals, insects, flowers and other plants, as well as historical figures and Buddhas and Budhisattvas. Their great numbers, vast subjects and rich contents are unique in Tibet. There are five large stone pagodas set between Songgar Village of Chanang County and the Samye Monastery. They were carved from local boulders and set along both sides of the two-kilometer stretch of road leading to the monastery. Ift is said that these five pagodas were carved by an eminent Indian monk invited by Trisun Detsan during the 8th century.

　　The Dingboqen Monastery in Chanang County has preserved a surprising number of stone carving. The more than 1,000 pieces include bass-relief, sculpture in the round, and deep-relief carvings. The principal subjects include the historical Buddha, the Matraya Buddha, Padmasambhava, Tangdong Gyibo, Songtsan Gambo and the 5th Dalai Lama. Some buddhist scriptures were carved in Tibetan, while others were in Sanskrit, Pagba script and Nepalese.
　　
　　The stone lion set in front of the tomb of Trisun Detsan is a exquisite example of the art of stone sculpting. The stone lion, which stands 1.45 meters tall, squats facing the tomb. The eyes are staring wide and the fangs are showing. The mane is made up of tight curls. The carving is clear and smooth. The chest of the lion is raised straight, while the tail naturally rolls to the left side. The entire shape of the lion looks strong, haughty and fierce.

　　A group of stone sculptures of human skeletons inlaid in the east wall base of the Lhalung Monastery in Lhozha County are the most unique and most mysterious stone sculptures related to the monasteries in Tibet. The skeletons, arranged in four rows, were carved on a 30 centimeter square stone. When the wall was built, the stone skeletons were put inside the wall with the surface facing out. When seen from afar, they seem like rows of humans buried in the wall.

　　Clay Sculptures: Shannan's clay arts are found in the various styles of clay temple statues. The larger works can measure as much as five or six meters tall, while the smallest can fit in a human hand. In addition to various kinds of Buddhist statues, subjects also include well-known historical figures such as Songtsan Gambo and Princess Wencheng, as well as pavilions, flowers, insects, fish, birds in flight and animals in motion, wind, clouds, the sun and the moon.

　　Wooden Sculptures: Various kinds of exquisite wooden sculptures decorate beams, pillars, and niches in temples and monasteries. Wooden carvings can also be seen on beams, pillars and windows in many homes. For example, the high and flat cabinets in many homes are decorated with continuous wooden carved designs. On the top of the cabinet are lotus flowers and eight treasure designs carved in complete relief. They are painted in various bright colors.