Guoluo Xirebu, a famous Tibetan Thangka painter, guides his students in Thangka painting, at a Thangka exhibition center in Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwestern Gansu Province, on May 6, 2008. (Xinhua Photo

    Thangka, a transliteration of the Tibetan language, is a kind of traditional scroll painting on cloth or silk with various religious functions. The contents can feature the Tibetan history, religion, culture and social life.

    In June 2008, Thangka was designated as a national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council (China's cabinet) and the Ministry of Culture.

    Xirebu, 48, began to learn the Thangka painting skill at an early age and has formed his own artistic characteristics in years of practice. In 1998, his works featuring the portray of the 10th Panchen Erdeni won a Guinness award.

    In recent years, Xirebu's works have become popular among domestic and foreign Thangka collectors and been cherished by many famous monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism in China