Tongren County has five villages under its administration, where Wutun Village is most famous for its Regong art. In Wutun alone, there are more than 100 Tibetan families of artists. Drawing on the Dunhuang arts, Tibetan painting, garze (in Sichuan) woodcarving and Tibetan folk art, the families have formed their own particular style.

Their works cover a wide range from color paintings, sculptures, designs, butter flowers, embroidery, brick and stone carvings and architectural decorations. Apart from murals, Wutun artists are also known for their thangka -making and woodcarving. The skillful application of gold powder, cinnabar and azurite gives their paintings a strong decorative effect.

Wutun artists are well known not only among Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist clergy but also in India and Nepal.

 Characteristics of Regong art

In the early period, Regong artworks were crude and unsophisticated with monotone colors, featuring typical Indian and Nepalese styles. In the mid-17th century, artisans mastered better techniques and the painting styles became more elegant and exquisite; they also paid more attention to decorative effects in their works. Thus, the art entered a prosperous period of development.

After the 19th century, Regong artworks featured beautiful colors and an exquisite touch. The artisans of this period paid special attention to the decorative interest in their works and employed a great amount of gold to make the works resplendent and magnificent, creating an ardent atmosphere. The works not only look harmonious in their arrangement of different subjects but are also lifelike and lively, displaying outstanding artistic effects.

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