In order to rescue, excavate, and record farming culture, to better help people honor their hometowns, as well as to provide original research for studies of plateau farming culture, the Traditional Tibetan Farming Picture Dictionary will be published this month after two years of preparation.

The Tibetan people have created a unique and diverse farming culture in their farming practice and social life, which plays a vital part in traditional Tibetan culture.

Mima, Director of the Folk Arts Museum of Tibet Autonomous Region, commented that Tibet formally launched the work of rescuing records of Tibetan farming culture in 2014, focusing on the survey and collection of farming tools, the compilation of farming songs and dances, and the revitalization of farming traditions. The Traditional Tibetan Farming Picture Dictionary is one of the major accomplishments of this rescue effort.

This dictionary was made possible by the specialists from the Non-Material Cultural Heritage Center of Tibet Autonomous Region visiting farms and shepherding regions in Lhoka and Shigatse. They interviewed and surveyed older-generation farmers, pottery artists, and carpenters and photographed their work. The dictionary features 17 farming tools’ production techniques, and 300-plus photos of farming objects, making the book a comprehensive record of the many kinds of farming tools available in Tibet, and is a valuable reference of their names, materials, functions, and production techniques.

Mima said that as modern techniques continue to evolve, past farming techniques such as cow-ploughing and traditional farming tools will continue to fade out, and traditional farming culture tends to be forgotten by everyone. The publication of the Traditional Tibetan Farming Picture Dictionary will help people better understand the traditional Tibetan farming culture and its history.

The Traditional Tibetan Farming Picture Dictionary is written in Tibetan with 3,000 copies in the first printing.