The walnut wood bowls from Jiacha County in Xizang's Shannan City are renowned for their craftsmanship and quality. They play a key role in both daily life and festivals for the people of Xizang. In recent years, the region has focused on developing traditional cultural industries and cultivating talent. Gong Ming reports.

Jiacha County in Shannan City, Xizang Autonomous Region, is famous for its ancient walnut forests, with more than 3,600 trees aged over 1,000 years across 24 villages. This natural resource supports the creation of Jiacha wooden bowls, crafted from walnut tree burls. This craftsmanship, passed down through generations, is a representative of Xizang's intangible cultural heritage. Skilled artisans, following an intricate process of eight steps, from selecting the wood to carving and polishing, take two months to transform a piece of wood into a beautifully patterned bowl.

GONG MING Jiacha County, Xizang Autonomous Region "Here, we see a variety of beautifully crafted wooden bowls, the most famous among them are those made from local walnut trees that are thousands of years old, using unique craftsmanship. To better preserve this traditional skill, local heritage inheritors are also exploring innovative development models."

These traditional wooden bowls, once vital to daily life of the people from Xizang, have gained wider attention with the rise of tourism. Sangzhu, an inheritor of this craft, who started making wooden bowls at 16, transitioned from a family workshop to establishing a cultural industry company with government support. He now combines traditional craftsmanship with modern design, creating stylish and practical products to meet growing market demand.

SANGZHU General Manager Dabu Traditional Cultural Industry Development Co. "I've been making wooden bowls here for 26 years, and now I want to get more creative with the designs. I'm thinking of making smaller bowls that are easier for tourists to buy as souvenirs, or decorative ones for home display. We're also promoting through online marketing, and our yearly sales have doubled."

Sangzhu's company has also become a local base for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage. It offers skills training and employment opportunities for local residents, including many young people. This helps preserve and develop the craft of wooden bowl making, while enabling more people in the area to achieve sustainable income growth.

GESANG Staff "Over the past two months of learning here, I've mastered every step of making wooden bowls, from selecting materials to processing. Working here now earns me about 9,000 yuan a month, which has significantly improved my life. I hope to keep refining my skills, make more and better wooden bowls, and continue preserving this intangible cultural heritage."

Through talent cultivation and promoting traditional cultural industries, the craftsmanship of Jiacha wooden bowls has been revitalized. Today, these bowls are not only popular in Xizang but have also become renowned nationwide as tourist souvenirs and collectibles. This has boosted the local economy and helped preserve cultural heritage. Gong Ming, CGTN, Xizang Autonomous Region.