Tibetan villages

cctv.com 12-17-2003 11:08

Small villages, Tibetan farmers, green grassland covered with wild flowers with grazing yaks and horses, the pastoral landscape gives off a sense of tranquility that is almost surreal.

Yila grassland about six kilometers northwest of the county town is the largest and the most beautiful highland prairie in the county. During rainy season in summer, part of the grassland turns into a crystal clear lake.

Although now the flower season is over, I found the grassland attractive in a different way with wooden hay drying racks pointing gracefully toward the skies.

A small village in Nixi District, Shangri-La County is known for one thing – making the traditional black Pottery. And Sunnuoqilin's family has two of the best craftsmen in the village.

Sunnuoqilin is the father. He started to learn making pottery since the age of twelve from his grandfather. Sunnuoqilin is proud that the butter tea pot was made over half a century ago by his dad and is still in use.

They are not the only family that makes pottery. About 70 out of the 100 families in the village are engaged in the business. Sunnuo's eldest son, luosangenzhu is picking up the family business now.

It's amazing to see that although every step is manual, each piece is meticulously made. The clay is taken from a mountain three kilometers away from the village.

Pottery making has a long history in Tibet that can be dated back 4,000-5,000 years. What they make here at Nixi are mostly household items such as pots, jars, stoves, basins and even soap dishes. Because of the superior quality, even people from Tibet come here to get nixi pottery. With the tourism business heating up, nixi pottery also makes great travel souvenir.

Editor:Han Ling  Source:CCTV.com