Dege Scripture Printing House

Dege Scripture Printing House

The Dege Scripture Printing House is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Renowned as the "World Encyclopedia of Tibetan Culture," the "Shining Cultural Pearl of the Tibetan Region," and the "Treasure House under the Snow Mountains," the Dege Scripture Printing House, officially named "Tibetan Cultural Treasure Dege Scripture Printing House 0-Ku Jixiang Duomen" and also known as "Dege Jixiang Ju'huiyuan," was first built in 1729, covering a total area of about 5,000 square meters, with a building footprint of nearly 3,000 square meters and a total construction area of over 9,000 square meters. It is located on Culture Street in Dege County (Gengqing Town). In 1996, it was designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

Dege County in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province is one of the three major cultural centers in the Tibetan region of China (Lhasa in Tibet, Labrang in Gansu, and Dege in Sichuan). In particular, the Dege Scripture Printing House stands out among the three major printing houses in the Tibetan region (Lhasa, Labrang, and Dege) due to its extensive and comprehensive collection of Tibetan cultural texts, strict and well-organized management, meticulous production of raw materials, exquisite craftsmanship, high-quality printing, and comprehensive preservation of architectural murals, woodblocks, and other artifacts. Since its establishment over 270 years ago, the house has preserved more than 830 volumes of various scriptures and over 270,000 wooden printing blocks—an unparalleled collection in the world today. The vast collection of printing blocks and scriptures holds immense academic value for research into Tibetan history, politics, economy, religion, medicine, science and technology, literature, and art, drawing attention from Tibetan studies experts worldwide. The Dege Scripture Printing House is not only a treasured jewel in the treasure house of Chinese culture but also a radiant pearl in the world’s cultural heritage.

The Dege Scripture Printing House is located on Culture Street in Gengqing Town, Dege County, Sichuan Province. Known in Tibetan as "Dege Jixiang Ju’huiyuan," it was founded in the seventh year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1729) by Chokyi Tenzin, the 12th local chieftain of Dege, and has a history of over 260 years. After several expansions, it has become the largest, most well-equipped, and most extensively stocked scripture printing house in the Tibetan region.

Covering an area of 1,565 square meters with a construction area of 5,450 square meters, the Dege Scripture Printing House is a traditional Tibetan religious building constructed with earth and timber in a quadrangle courtyard style. Its unique structure features towering red walls and swaying green trees, offering a serene and majestic sight. The side facing the gate has a single-story and a two-story section, while the main hall extends to two and three stories, creating a staggered and classic Tibetan architectural style. The compound includes sections for storing printing blocks, paper storage, scripture sun-drying platforms, block-washing platforms, paper-cutting and book-aligning rooms, as well as shrine halls and scripture chanting halls. There are six block storage rooms of varying sizes, occupying nearly half of the entire building area where the printing process also takes place. The storage rooms house neatly arranged shelves filled with categorically sorted printing blocks, each equipped with a handle—a distinctive feature of the "Dege Barkhang." Printing blocks come in various sizes, with the largest measuring over 110 cm in length, 70 cm in width, and about 5 cm in thickness, while the smallest are approximately 33 cm in length and just around 6 cm in width. By the late 1780s, the printing house housed 217,500 blocks, each carved on both sides. Calculating an average of 600 syllables per side for large, medium, and small blocks, the total number of characters amounts to approximately 260 million, demonstrating its grand scale.

The Dege Scripture Printing House is world-renowned for its abundant and diverse collection, encompassing all major Tibetan Buddhist sects. Although its founder, Tenpa Tsering, adhered to the Red Hat sect (Kagyu), he did not exclude scriptures from other sects. This inclusivity set the Dege Scripture Printing House apart from others and became one of its defining characteristics. During the initial collection of manuscripts, with the help of Situ Chokyi Jungne, a large group of scholars was dispatched to search for handwritten or woodblock copies in places such as Samye, Chimphu, Narthang, Shalu, Sakya, Lhasa, and Ngari in Tibet. Renowned scholars such as Chokyi Wangchuk were then invited to carefully classify, proofread, and finalize the manuscripts. Once finalized, dozens of skilled calligraphers proficient in Tibetan (Uchen) script transcribed the texts onto the blocks, followed by review by several scholars. Then, hundreds of trained and selected craftsmen carved the blocks, which were subsequently proofread by scholars. After four rounds of meticulous proofreading and confirmation of accuracy, the blocks underwent complex and detailed anti-corrosion and anti-cracking treatments before being completed. Each step had strict quality standards with highly detailed and rigorous regulations, ensuring that the final blocks featured clear, accurate engravings that endured over time.

The Dege Scripture Printing House has long been hailed as the "Encyclopedia of Tibetan Culture," the "Shining Cultural Pearl of the Tibetan Region," and the "Treasure House under the Snow Mountains." In November 1996, it was designated as part of the fourth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.

Protected Area: West to the outer edge of the newly planned green space, north to the outer edge of the newly planned green space, east to the west side of Gengqing Monastery and the outer edge of the newly planned green parking lot, south to the outer edge of the newly planned road.

Construction Control Zone: West to the intersection of the existing Culture Street and Health Street, south to the eastward extension of Dege Tibetan Hospital up to the 3305 elevation point on the northern side of the unavoidable natural mountain, then along the contour line eastward to the Oqu River, north to the intersection of Culture Street and the restroom street, then eastward, passing the 3420 elevation point on the northeastern natural mountain to the southeastern outskirts, and reaching the 788-meter point on the southeastern natural mountain.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level