Nyangbon now runs a studio with around 70 apprentices, many of whom come from poor backgrounds.

Nyangbon says his apprentices are typically middle school graduates, because education is compulsory and he believes education helps artisans become accomplished artists.

An exhibition of 30 thangka works by master painters, including Nyangbon and others in their 20s and 30s, from Qinghai is now at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, through Sunday.

The bulk of displayed works showcase the styles and techniques developed by artists like Nyangbon in villages along the Longwu River in Tongren, better known as the Regong area.

The Tibetan word "regong" means "golden basin".