Centuries-old handicrafts bring better lives to local in Tibet

As a culturally rich county in the Tibet autonomous region, Nyemo is known for its three intangible heritage handicrafts: Tibetan incense, paper and hand-engraving. Now local villagers are embracing a better life with their expertise as they preserve and pass on the handicrafts.

In the Tibet autonomous region, wherever you visit temples or homes, you immediately notice a special smell that fills every corner. This comes from Tibetan incense, the main raw material of which is from the cypress tree. This is ground into wood pulp in a water mill and after drying the pulp is formed into incense bricks.

These in turn are ground into powder and mixed with saffron, musk, sandalwood and other medicinal herbs and spices, and then squeezed with ox horns. Pressed into strips and dried, it is the finished product ready for use. This technique has been handed down over a period spanning thousands of years. Nyemo is the hometown of Thonmi Sambhota, a Tibetan incense specialist.