Making techniques of beiyejing

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: making techniques of beiyejing

Applicant: Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province

Project No.: 925

Project No.: VIII - 142

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Yunnan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province

Protection unit: cultural center of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture

Introduction to the making techniques of beiyejing:

Applicant: Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province

Beiyejing, called "tanlan" in Dai language, is a Buddhist Scripture written on the leaves of bedoro with iron pen. It originated in ancient India, spread to Sri Lanka around the 7th century, and then spread to the southwest border areas of Yunnan Province through Myanmar and Thailand. In addition to China, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Sri Lanka and other countries have found the remains of Beiye scriptures. The survey shows that Xishuangbanna, Simao, Lincang and Dehong areas in Yunnan Province are relatively complete inheritors of the making techniques of beiyejing. In addition to Dai beiyejing, beiyejing in Lao, Myanmar and Thai are also found here.

There are two kinds of beiyejing found in Xishuangbanna: Pali text and Dai text. The specifications include four lines, five lines, six lines and eight lines per page. The Dai people not only use the processed leaves to carve Buddhist scriptures, but also record a large number of Dai People's astronomical calendar, social history, laws and regulations, folk customs, medicine, production, life, ethics, literature and art.

Beiyejing is an important carrier of Dai traditional culture, which has important historical and ethnological research value. The Dai people cherish the Beiye Scripture in Dai language, regard it as a treasure handed down from generation to generation, and praise it as "the holy boat carrying Dai's history and culture". Beiyejing is also the "Encyclopedia" of Dai people. Many Buddhist temples and ordinary people's families in Xishuangbanna reverently collect it.