Tibet's thangka paintings find new fans all over China

Beijing

HER eyes riveted to the canvas, Wulan meticulously applies colour to an image of the Buddha, using pigments made of crushed pearls, turquoise and agate.

The 34-year-old is one of dozens of students at a school in Lhasa learning the medieval Tibetan art of thangka - minutely detailed paintings depicting Buddhist deities or symbols, usually on cotton canvas or silk scrolls.