
Khyenle
Arts Beyond Bronze
Khyenle Art Center
Since 19th Century
Khyenle Art Center in Dzongsar
Made in Tibet by Tibetans
Khyenle Art Center is located in Dzongsar (Meshod), in Kham Derge, the eastern part of Tibet. Dzongsar is also known as The Valley of Arts and Crafts, with over 2,000 artisans, who constitute one-third of the population. These artisans practice over 16 genres of Tibetan arts and crafts. The Khyenle Art Center currently has 33 full-time artisans whose crafting skills have been perfected over many generations, serving as part of our community's heritage since 1820.
Khyenle Art Workshop
Artisan in Residence
We offer those who are interested in Tibetan art the opportunity to work with local Khyenle artists to create their own personal artwork. We also customize hands-on workshops for art school students and group tours, including bronze sand-casting, clay sculpture, and wood painting, allowing participants to experience the authentic artisan culture and lifestyle of the region.
Sustain Tibetan Craftsmanship
Empower Local Crafts
Khyenle’s primary value lies in the quality rather than the quantity of its products. Their crafting skills have been perfected through many generations as part of the community's heritage since 1820. Khyenle offers apprenticeships to young Tibetans, empowering them to become inheritors of Tibetan art and craftsmanship, ensuring the continuation of this rich tradition.
Khyenle Guest House
A Chance To Experience Local Artisan Life
Join Us and Be Part of Khyenle
Khyenle Guest House is located above the Khyenle Art Center. Guests are welcome to visit the Art Center during opening hours (8:30 AM–7:00 PM). A shared kitchen is located on the first floor, where breakfast and dinner are prepared upon request. Behind the guest house, a greenhouse grows local vegetables, providing fresh produce for guests and artisans at the Khyenle Art Center.
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Who We Are
Tibetan craftsman on a mission to develop and sustain our own culture.
Nyi Ma
Chief Master
Nyi ma has been practicing bronze sculpting since his early childhood. He is the most well-known sculptor in Dzongsar. He has also served as a master teacher to more than 30 students over the past 15 years.
When it comes to arts and crafts, he is a perfectionist. Nyi ma emphasizes to his students that arts and crafts are a lifelong learning experience—something you can only improve upon with time. As the sixth generation of Khyenle crafts, Nyi ma says, “Khyenle is all about its quality, not the quantity.”
Dawa Dakba
Chief Designer
Dawa Dakpa is part of the younger generation of Khyenle inheritors. After finishing middle school, he decided to carry on the Khyenle tradition and began learning arts and crafts from his father, Nima.
When it comes to Khyenle, he is one of the most creative minds, full of innovative ideas to lead the way forward. He says, “Khyenle is beyond traditional bronze arts; it’s a way of cultural survival in the modern world by empowering local Tibetan artisans in an innovative way.”
Dawa Drolma
Creative Director
Dawa Drolma grew up in Dzongsar. She completed her undergraduate degree in Business in the U.S.A. She is passionate about Tibetan arts and crafts, with many years of experience in research and facilitating networks for Tibetan artisan businesses.
Dawa is also known as a photographer and filmmaker, with more than six international awards to her name. She says, “I want to make sure every Khyenle artisan’s dream comes true through Khyenle’s mission.”
Bujie
Bronze Sculptor
Bujie is one of the most remarkable and talented artists in Dzongsar. He has been sculpting alongside his uncle, Nima, since childhood. After his parents divorced when he was a child, he and his sister lived with their uncle until they got married.
Today, Bujie is a devoted husband and a proud father of two children. He says, “Khyenle empowers people like me, who never had the chance to get a proper education and struggled to feed an entire family on a single income.”
Pam Dorjie
Wax Sculptor
Pam Dorjie is an honest and humble person. He began learning arts and crafts in the 1990s when he was a teenager. Since 2000, he has focused on wax sculpture at Khyenle.
He is a brilliant and hardworking individual, always the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave the workshop. He says, “Khyenle provides reliability and flexibility for me. Work at Khyenle is not seasonal or rigid like farming, herding, or searching for caterpillar fungus, where you can only work at certain times and must work during those periods. At Khyenle, I can work whenever I want, throughout the year, on any day of the week. This flexibility allows me to easily manage my time and balance other aspects of my life.”
Tsering Norbu
Painter
Tsering Norbu is a person who always has a big smile on his face. He was a nomad before he began learning drawing and painting from his master, Tsewang Drojie, at the age of 18. Although his master passed away later, Tsering continued his education while traveling and making a living by painting furniture.
Now, with 17 years of experience in painting, he is a distinguished artist. He lives with his parents, wife, and two children, all of whom depend on his single income. He says, “I always admired craftsmen when I was a herder in the mountains. Khyenle means dreams came true for me. Being an artist or a craftsman and making a living by drawing and creating beautiful things was my childhood dream. Here I am.”
Dawa Dolma
Lost Wax
Dawa Dolma is one of the few female sculptors at the Khyenle workshop. She is a shy yet very talented young woman. She began learning crafts at the age of 18, after completing her primary education.
Her parents could not afford to pay for her further education. She has three older siblings who take care of the yak herd, and two younger siblings who are still in school. Despite these challenges, Dawa has already started supporting her family with her income.
She says, “I want to be an independent woman who doesn’t have to wait for a man to feed me. I use the skills and knowledge I learned at Khyenle to make a living for myself and my family. Khyenle makes me feel secure.”
A Yi
Fire Gilding
A Yi is a talented metalsmith who, despite becoming disabled in a childhood accident, dedicated his life to learning metal craftsmanship. When Yi was young, his father passed away, later his sister became a single mother, and he became the sole breadwinner for their family. A Yi has honed his craft and is capable of creating beautiful pieces independently. However, selling his work has always been a challenge. In 2019, A Yi found a supportive environment at Khyenle. He says, "Working at Khyenle allows me to focus solely on creating my art without worrying about sales." Yi's dedication, skill, and unique perspective have made him a valued member of the Khyenle team.
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Our Story
We have always strived for excellence since the nineteenth century.
What we do
Khyenle creates exquisite traditional bronze artwork, including sculptures, jewelry, and keepsakes, all of which are designed and handmade by local craft masters. Khyenle's primary value is quality over quantity. Their crafting skills have been perfected through many generations as part of their family heritage.
Khyenle offers apprenticeships for young Tibetans, enabling them to become inheritors of Tibetan art and craftsmanship and to carry forward the Tibetan tradition. We also provide workshops, led by local artists, for those interested in creating their own personal artwork.
Our Story
Tibetan bronze art has a long history. The Khyenle bronze lineage was founded in the nineteenth century. The first reincarnation of Dzongsar Khyentse was born in 1820. Based on the technique of lost-wax casting and sand-casting, he developed a unique bronze style known as Khyenle among Tibetans. With its distinctive bronze material and exquisite craftsmanship, it garnered much praise. The first Dzongsar Khyentse personally guided Naru Dochi to learn and create Khyenle. After five generations of transmission, Tashi Dorji passed his Khyenle skills to Nyi Ma, who is the current bearer of the Khyenle tradition.
Our Philosophy
Our brand, Khyenle, empowers local craftsmen as artists and provides employment opportunities for them. With the skills and talents at hand, we can develop our own economy without severing ties to our past. We believe that by being economically independent, we can choose to develop and sustain our own culture, rather than being constantly subject to outside economic forces. We can decide our own future.
Why us?
Most of the so-called "Tibetan handicrafts" on the market today are neither made in Tibet nor made by Tibetans. Khyenle promises that all products are handmade in Tibet by Tibetan artisans. Every product from Khyenle is more than just artwork; it embodies the spiritual and educational values of Tibetan arts and culture. Khyenle prioritizes the well-being of, and benefits for, both our customers and employees. We believe in the benefits of all through fair wages, fair-trade practices, safe work environments, high retention rates, ethical standards, local hiring, local sourcing, local participation, charitable contributions, and improvements in community living standards.
Where we are ?
The Khyenle workshop is located in a small valley in the eastern part of Tibet called Dzongsar. It is in Derge County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China.
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