Artistic Traditions of Amdo, Summer 2007

July 1st
Ride the rails through the day with an introduction to Tibetan language (Lhasa dialect) and discreet discussion of Chinese and Tibetan political history amidst the audio propaganda featured on the train. While traversing the outstanding geography of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, we will take meals and sleep on the train as we travel 4064km between Beijing and Lhasa.

July 2nd
Arrive in Lhasa (approximately 48 hours after departing Beijing) and transfer to hotel near the famous Ramoche Temple in central Lhasa.

July 3rd
The first day in Lhasa will be relaxed in order to allow for proper acclimitization. We will meet with our local guide, Nyima in the morning, and from mid-day through the afternoon visit the Tibet Museum and Jokhang Temple, the holiest of all Tibetan holies. We will have much of the afternoon to walk the Barkhor circuit, the pedestrian mall which circles the Jokhang and is the focal point for pilgrims, traders, tourists, and Tibetan locals in central Lhasa. After dinner we will have a lecture/discussion with Nyima (a former monk) on Tibetan Buddhism.

July 4th
In the morning we will visit the legendary and massive Potala Palace, the historical winter residence of the Dalai Lamas and house of the Tibetan Kashag, or central government. After lunch we will pay a short visit to the Gedun Choephel Artists’ Guild in order to get acquainted with the excellent and innovative work being produced by the local members of this initiative. We will then visit a local NGO, Dropenling, and discuss their efforts in preserving traditional handicrafts amongst the dynamic of modern development with Director and member of Global LAB’s advisory board: Claire Burkert. We will also try to schedule a field visit to one of the villages in which Dropenling sponsors work ranging from traditional weaving practices to modern leather working.

July 5th
This morning we will drive several hours to Gyangtse in order to visit Kunbum Gonpa and the important Palkhor Chorten, or else Dratang and Samye to see the exceptional temple complexes there. In the afternoon students will have free time to visit several of the local art galleries, painting studios, and thanka workshops. In the evening, interested Pratt students can join local Tibetan students for an evening of English language discussion and cultural exchange at the local Hope Corner.

July 6th
In the morning we will have free time to stroll the Barkhor as well as visit some of the temples near the city center, including Ramoche Lhakhang and Gyurme Tantric College. We may also have the opportunity to visit Tibet University's Department of Fine Arts. In the afternoon we will return to the Gedun Choephel Artists' Guild and have a discussion with Leigh Miller Sangster about the contemporary art movement in Lhasa. We will also meet and talk with founding members of the Guild and faculty at Tibet University's Department of Fine Arts, Tsewang Tashi and/or Gade.

July 7th
We will depart Lhasa for Xining (by plane), arriving in Xining (Tibetan: Zilang) in early afternoon. We will transfer to our hotel and meet our local guides and assistants, Kunchuk Kyab and Dorje Palmo (Pumo) and make an afternoon tour of the Great Mosque of Xining (center of worship for this city's large Muslim population) as well as the outdoor bazaars, including the famous Night Market. We will have an afternoon lecture with Professor Kevin Stuart of Qinghai Normal University on the diverse ethnicities and language traditions of the Amdo region in Qinghai province, specifically in regards to the unique Mongur (Mongolian) traditions of the Repkong Valley. (Professor Stuart is also an expert of the Repkong Laru Festival)

July 8th
This morning we will visit Kunbum Gonpa, founded during the 16th century by Master Tsundril Rinchen and one of the six largest Gelukpa Gonpas in Tibet (the big six also include Sera and Labrang Gonpas, both of which we'll see during the course of the trip). After lunch we will drive to Martsangtrak Gonpa, one hour south of Xining. One of the oldest monasteries in this region (Do-Kham), it is also historically significant in that it was founded by Lachen Gonpa Ralse during the late 9th century following the Tibetan King Langtarma's viscious persecution of Buddhism in central Tibet (U-Tsang). As such, it was established in an effort to maintain the Dharma traditions which had been largely eradicated in other regions of Tibet. After returning to Xining in the late afternoon, we will contrast our day’s visit to the large, Gelukpa monasteries with an evening discussion on non-monastic Tibetan Buddhist practice, namely that of the ngak-pa tradition, with Wuqi and Humchin, co-founders of the local Ngak-mang Institute.

July 9th
Leaving Xining in the morning drive 2-3 hours to Repkong along the spectacularly wide Yellow River gorge before entering the narrow and fertile Rongpo gorge. We will transfer to the China Telecom Hotel and have the afternoon free to explore Repkong town center, visit some thanka-painting and metal-smithing workshops (including that of the Tsuntar Jel family), as well as watch (and join) the evening dances in the town square.

July 10th
We will have a morning Amdo dialect language lesson before making the short drive (10 minutes) to Gomar village, where we will meet homestay families. This afternoon we will visit the local Gomar Gonpa, a powerful branch monastery of Riwong Gonchen Gonpa, as well as visit the Sengeshong Mango/Wutun monastery and painting school across the valley (20-30 minute walk). There we will have a talk with the legendary master painter, Nyungbum, about the history and practice of thangka. We will also meet local stone- and wood-carvers, weavers, tailors, and sculptors this afternoon, before spending our first night with homestay families.

July 11th-July 15th
Today and for the following four days we will have a morning meditation class (7:30-8:30 AM, optional), followed by Amdo Tibetan language class (9-10 AM). Afterwards, we will have the daily instruction periods for 2-3 hours with local artists in the medium of each students' choice. The afternoons will be generally free for independent art practice, exploration of the nearby villages, visits to Repkong center for email and shopping, as well as experimentation with different or alternative artistic styles (not under the tutelage of local masters). We will stay with local families for this time, sleeping and eating in their homes, and will also participate in a local, service-oriented volunteer project which will be determined by the needs of the local community.

July 16th
After five days in Gomar we will take a two-day trip to the nearby Khamra National Park. After making a short drive to the Park we will take a local boat across the Yellow River. From there we will walk half an hour to the important Namzong nunnery, one of the few large and isolated nunneries in Tibet. We will stay overnight at the nunnery.

July 17th
The following day we will do a little trek-training and make a short hike up the nearby Zamzongtse mountain for tremendous views of the Repkong Valley. After lunch, we will continue our hike to the Namzong National Park where we will stay overnight either in a guest house or in Pumo’s village.

July 18th
This morning we will drive back to Gomar village and have the afternoon to resume art projects and return to family homes.

July 19th-22nd
We will continue our artistic studies for the following four days, as well as our homestay arrangements, with daily schedules like those above according to July 11-15.

July 23rd
This morning we will say goodbye (for the time-being) to our homestay families and drive 5 hours across the nomadic regions of the Amdo grasslands to the village of Hor and the important Terton Chogar Gonpa. After visiting the local Nyingma monastery and viewing the astounding stone-carving work in the massive mani wall above the temple (which contains the entire Buddhist canon, the Kangyur and Tengur, carved in slate), we will meet some of the resident artists, including the famous master, Gonpo Tsetan. We might also have the chance to meet some of the resident tokden ngakpas, modern-day Tibetan yogi-ascetics who are non-monastic Buddhist practitioners often identified by the wraps of dreadlocks atop their head. We will stay at a local, simple guesthouse for the night.

July 24th
This morning we will drive 7-8 hours to Tsue, where we will visit the famous Milarepa temple, Tsogen Gedun Choling. This thirteen-story complex is home to much of the finest artwork in modern-day Tibet, and was recently re-built to replace the ancient temple which was destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-76). It is a replica of the nine-story temple, Sekhur Gutok, that the legendary Tibetan mystic, Milarepa, built in honor of his teacher, Marpa's, son and in the words of Gyurme Dorje “ranks amoung the greatest of modern temples of Tibet for its exquisite design and art” In Tsue we will stay at a local hotel.

July 25th
In the morning we will continue our crossing of the spectacular Amdo grasslands while driving 2 hours to Labrang. Here we will visit the many temples and centers of monastic study at the enormous Labrang Monastery (another one of the six largest Gelukpa Gonpas in Tibet). (Labrang is also called Xiahe ). Here we will stay in a hotel.

July 26th-30th
Today we will commence our trek to Repkong, a five-day journey of moderate rigor that will have us walking five-six hours per day through the rolling hills of central Amdo. We will generally start the day early with a hearty breakfast, walk until mid-day and then break for our packed-lunch, and then walk a couple more hours in the afternoon(before potential rains tend to arrive). The afternoons will mostly be open around camp, where we will often pitch our tents in the vicinity of the local nomadic families that spend the summer months in this high country with their herds of yak and sheep. We will carry only light day-packs ourselves, and have the bulk of our gear carried by horse or yak driven by our support team of one guide and several cooks and kitchen-aides. We should return to Repkong by foot mid-day on July 30th and can return to either a hotel in the town center or our homestays in Gomar. The afternoon will be free to get cleaned-up, communicate with family and friends back home, and simply relax. The Laru festival will have begun one day before, so we can also visit the festivities in whichever village hosts the events this day.

July 31st-Aug 1st
We will spend these two days attending the unique and local Laru festival, the annual event which combines ancient Bon-po traditions(sometimes referred to as 'shamanistic') with those of modern and monastic Gelukpa Tibetan Buddhist practices. The festival occurs in a different village each of its ten days, when, respectively, local men enter trances in order to act the oracle for village consultations with the local dieites, or 'lha,' and monastic dances and puja rituals take place amidst the monastery grounds. We will stay either with our homestay familes or in a hotel in Repkong center during this time.

Aug 2nd
After seeing a morning's worth of this day's Luru festival, we will eat lunch and then return to Xining. In the evening we will have dinner at friend's local and exquisite Tibetan restaurant, which includes a cultural performance of traditional Tibetan song and dance. Afterwards, those who are interested can take to the famous public saunas of Xining, an experience not to be missed. We will stay at a local hotel.

Aug 3rd
We will depart Xining for Beijing on Train T28 at 9:39 AM, eating and sleeping on-board for the next 26 hours.

Aug 4th
We will arrive in Beijing in late morning, transfer to our hotel, and have the afternoon free for final interests including shopping and limited sightseeing. We'll then have a festive final meal together on this the last night of our program in Tibet and China.

Aug 5th
Depart Beijing in early afternoon for return to USA.