The Khamba People and Their Culture

The Khamba area is located in the east of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. It's where locals speak the Khamba dialect. As the hinterland of Khamba culture, there are many distinctive and beautiful cultural scenic spots in Changdu.

There is a famous proverb among Tibetans: if a Khamba person can speak, then he can sing well; if he can walk on both feet, then he can dance well too. Due to their bold and unconstrained character, the Khamba dance style is different from the other Tibetans. Their most popular folk dance is known as the "Guozhuang Dance". It is a popular folk dance among Tibetans. Hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm, one side for men and the other for women, dancers sing to the beat of their pounding feet.   

Their dress and personal adornments are very beautiful and distinctive, very elegant and poised. They use some expensive gold pieces and jewelry, such as agates, emeralds, and coral, to adorn themselves. Past down from generation to generation, these clothes and personal adornments have become very valuable, becoming a Khamba symbol of wealth.

Monasteries in Changdu

The Tibetans call themselves Bod-pa, which means "people living in the Bod region." It is believed that the name Bod is derived from the name Bon, an animist religion popular with many Tibetans prior to the advent of Buddhism in the region. Followers of the Bon faith held that everything in the world has a soul. Monks held various kinds of sacrificial activities. In the 7th century when Buddhism spread to Tibet, it collided head on with the Bon religion. The Bon religion, formerly very primitive, finally grew in terms of its theory and organization.

The Garma Monastery is 120 km away from Changdu, standing on the upper reaches of the Zhaqu River. Going to the monastery one has to pass through a place called Let. Legend has it that on the slope of Let there was a Bon monastery that housed a Bon master who ordered his attendant monks to guard the road and let no outsider pass. One day, a hungry dog came and the monk on guard let it pass, as it was an animal. The master panicked on hearing the news and left the monastery shortly thereafter. The hungry dog was an incarnation of Master Garmaba Duisum Qenba, who had built the Garma Monastery. This episode signifies the creation of the Garma Gagyu Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in this part of the world.

Statistics show in 1991 there were 55 monasteries in Chamdo Prefecture, including 31 in Dengqen, nine in Zogan, six in Gyamda, five in Lholung, three in Baxoi and one in Changdu Town. There is a 17-meter high Buddha Maitreya Statue which is the largest clay sculptured Buddha statue.

Qiangbalin Monastery is similar to other major Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries, with well-preserved statues, frescos and Tangkas. It is the largest one among those of the Gelugpa，the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in the Khamba Area. The main Buddha here is Qiangba Buddha. The monastery is famous for its religious dance ceremony called Guqing which is performed every Tibetan New Year. Dancers perform in splendid costumes with gruesome masks, all movements in harmony. Such religious dances are famous though out the whole Tibetan plateau.

(Photos selected from  www.baidu.com)