Thangka, which are Tibetan Buddhist scroll paintings on cotton or silk with mineral and organic pigments derived from various sources, has flourished for millennia across the snow-capped plateau. The Gannan Tibetan Thangka, with the Labrang Thangka as its representative, was inscribed on China's National Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008.

A delegation of Russian mainstream media journalists recently visited a Thangka studio in Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, immersing themselves in the splendid world of Thangka art.