The centuries-old institution continues to produce texts and images today using traditional woodblock printing methods
The Derge Parkhang, or Derge Printing House, was founded in 1729 in the Kham region of eastern Tibet by the local king Tenpa Tsering (1678–1738). It continues to produce texts and images today using traditional woodblock printing methods. This film, which was created by Patrick Dowdey as part of the Derge Parkhang—Wesleyan University Collaborative Research Project (2006–2009), records the process of woodblock printing: from mashing insect-resistant plant roots into paper pulp, paper making, cutting texts into wooden blocks, editing and correcting, printing and finishing, and selling at the local shop.
Patrick Dowdey has conducted research in China and East Asia for over 35 years, first as a doctoral student in anthropology at UCLA and then as curator of the Mansfield Freeman Center Gallery (now part of the College of East Asian Studies) at Wesleyan University. Beginning in 2004 he led summer research projects on the Derge Parkhang in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Region of Sichuan with Clifton Meador of Appalachian State University and Padma’tsho of Southwest University of Nationalities in Chengdu. An exhibition of prints, books, videos, and photographs from that project was mounted in 2008 at Wesleyan and in 2009 at Columbia College Chicago. He is currently a visiting scholar at Wesleyan.
Get the latest news and stories from the Rubin, plus occasional information on how to support our work.