Mountain Monastery
Location: Western Sichuan, China
Mission Statement
For the past twenty years, The China Research and Exploration Society, CERS, has developed various cultural heritage restoration programmes across China. The society was set up with the aim of preserving the indigenous cultures of China’s 56 recognised ethnic minorities. To this end, the CERS team researched and documented a variety of communities’ customs and cultural artifacts. Later, cultural programmes were set up to preserve both material and intellectual heritage of any community that was in danger of disappearing or being assimilated. The CERS team is aware of the need to strike a balance between preservation of culture and development; as a result many of the projects also create business opportunities for the local community.
Background Information
The Ganzi Autonomous Prefecture, which lies in western Sichuan Province, is a phenomenal archive of traditional local architecture. Every county has its own unique style of building. Moreover, many of Ganzi's Buddhist monasteries contain art work done in local styles not found elsewhere on the Himalayan plateau or in the Buddhist world at large.
Palpung Thubten Chökhor Ling is located in Derge vicinity, Sichuan province. It originated in the 12th century and was later founded by the 8th Kuanding Tai Situ Rinpoche in 1727 and developed into one of the most prestigious centers in their history. At that time, it was renound for its university, impressive library and art collection. In the end of the 1950's during the Cultural Revolution, the building was destroyed and is still under reconstruction. It has been featured in the list of 1998-9 world's 100 most endangered monuments by the world monuments fund.
The Pewar Gonpa or Baiya monastery is a small Sakya Sect monastery that contains 270-year-old murals painted in the unique Ga style. This building was also affected by the Cultural Revolution, along with numerous other monasteries in the region. Since then, restoration projects have been carried out but many buildings are still suffering from water penetration and earthquake damage. In addition to this, lack of modern conservation skills and funding has hindered the restoration process.
Activities of Organisation
A comprehensive survey of 18 monasteries was conducted in the eastern part of the plateau in 1991. This included the drafting of architectural drawings and documentation of the history and current status of the monasteries. Based on this extensive study, two monasteries, Palpung and Baiya, were selected as conservation sites. Between 1994 and 1998, several teams of experts from the U.K., Italy and the U.S. conducted restoration work on both the architecture and the murals at these sites. At the same time, local craftsmen and artisans were trained in restoration methods so that they could go on to sustain their unique architecture and art. This project has been featured on CNN and several other television networks in this way dissipating information about the local people.
Consensus Community Perspective
By restoring murals and the structure of the monastery, using appropriate techniques and simultaneous documentation, the CERS are striving to revive indigenous heritage. Furthermore, by giving the locals the skills to sustain the work done and go on to restore other buildings, CERS has created a sustainable project which echoes the core values of the Himalayan consensus.
Website: Visit this community's website