Vue de l'intérieur de la maison Sutra-Printing Dege, ou Dege Parkhang les écritures anciennes maison d'impression à l'intérieur du monastère Gengqing dans le Garze un Tibétain
Interior view of the Dege Sutra-Printing House, or Dege Parkhang ancient scripture printing house inside the Gengqing Monastery in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan province, 18 August 2018. Journey to Dege Parkhang, an ancient scripture printing house, involves a hair-raising drive over the 5, 000-meter-altitude Trola Pass, but it is worth the trouble if you are interested in Tibetan history, religion, literature and art. The printing house, inside the famous Gengqing Monastery in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, southwest China, was built in 1729. It houses more than 290, 000 unique wooden printing blocks stored in racks, with over 500 million Tibetan words concerning aspects from history to science. The collection is believed to be the largest in number and richest in content of its kind in China and perhaps across the world. Until today, workers at the printing house are still using the same printing techniques as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Wood must be made into pieces of 100cm long, 10cm wide and 4cm thick and stored for a winter before they are used. A skilled worker generally needs 10 days to carve a single wooden block. It took 100 calligraphers three years and more than 500 carvers five years to finish the renowned Buddhist texts Kangyur. The printing house is a three-floor building that occupies an area of 3, 000 square meters. It seems not to be a grand project in modern eyes, but remember it was built more than 200 years ago on one of the planet's highest lands. Architectures and wall paintings there are also something to admire for visitors. Dege Parkhang is under state protection.