Place to Go

The hidden world of Wudaoying Hutong

(BeijingToday)
Updated: 2009-09-17 11:00

Sattva boutique and art gallery draws the attention of passersby with a colorful Tibetan Buddhist tapestry hanging by the window.

The tapestry, called a Thangka, is painted on a flat surface. Thus, it can be rolled up when not on display.

Such artwork was originally carried by monks traveling from monastery to monastery; they served as important teaching aid depicting the life of the Buddha, various influential lamas and other deities. They were also used as meditation tools and centerpieces during rituals or ceremonies.

Besides the Thangka, there are also Mandalas, which are painted to show the relationship between human beings and the cosmos. The word Mandala means “magic circle,” but the btapesies are made up of geometric patterns of squares and concentric circles. Making a Mandala requires a higher level of skill, which makes it rarer and more valuable than a Thangka.

The shop’s owner Liu Chang discovered the Thangka on a trip to Tibet and afterwards decided to open a shop that offered the art. Similar paintings can be found in the shop around the Lama Temple, but most of these pieces are mass produced; the traditional process of making Thangka takes a lot of time and effort.

The Thangka in Sattva are created by artists in Qinghai Province following the traditional method. So it’s not a surprise that each piece costs around 6,000 yuan. Besides this, the shop also sells Tibetan furniture, yak wool rugs and Tibetan herbal incense.

Sattva

Where: 60 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District

Open: 11 am – 9 pmTel: 6406 5363