Tibetannet

Gyaltse county in the Tibet autonomous region is renowned for its carpets, which have been produced there for more than 900 years.

The Tibetan carpet, or rug, is made to a unique tradition that utilizes special felting skills, bright colors, fine textures and softness.

In the past, they were popular among the nobility and were used in Tibetan monasteries.

Gyaltse Tibetan Carpet Factory has been producing handmade carpets for more than 40 years.

It provides a major source of income for locals and is one of the few factories of its kind in the region.

Operated as a cooperative workshop, the factory has about 200 employees, but more than 500 rural residents of Gyaltse's four villages benefit from the business.

"The workshop produces different kinds of Tibetan woolen carpets, which are mainly sold in Tibet, but some tourists have also bought them in recent years," said Lhakpa Phuntsok, the factory's 55-year-old assistant manager.

"We do not have any shops as people know all about our carpets. Our clients come to the factory to order directly, and our order book before August 2017 is already full."

Unlike many factories that produce carpets using machines, Gyaltse Tibetan Carpet Factory choose to produce authentic handmade products.

"Handmade is our tradition which we don't want to lose, and most people like the pure handmade carpets," said Lhakpa Phuntsok.

Much of the factory's workforce, which includes about 40 technicians and 30 weavers, have worked there for decades.

Phurbu Drolma began working at the factory 38 years ago.

"When I was young, many people found work in the carpet factory as there were fewer job opportunities, but today, it is hard to find young people to work here," said the 61-year-old.

"I receive an average salary of 3,000 yuan ($456) a month, and my family does not plant crops as I have a stable job here."

Basang Lhundrub is another of the factory's long-term employees, having worked there for almost two decades alongside his wife.

"The work is hard here, but I have got used to it and I like it," he said. He receives an average salary of about 4,000 yuan per month, which has done much to improve his living conditions.

For some workers, such as Yangkyi, the factory has become a second home.

"I support my family financially by working in the factory, and my husband does the farming," said the 36-year-old.

"I have learned skills by working in workshops operated by other families, step by step, I like it, and I find joy in it."

However, fellow worker Lhakpa Phanthok, 53, is worried that the age-old handicraft of rug making may disappear if fewer younger people choose to take it up.

Penpa Dorje, the factory's 65-year-old manager, said the business was founded in 1973, and around half its staffers are now aged over 40.

"It is very difficult to find new staff to start the work, because the majority of procedures are done entirely by hand, and many of the younger generation are reluctant to do it," he said.

"Also, learning the skills takes at least seven to eight years, and many young people find they cannot do the job."

It takes four people more than 20 days to produce a carpet 6-square-meters in size, calling for high levels of patience and energy, Penpa said.

The government has promised to invest 6.5 million yuan in the factory, which needs the funds to renovate its workshop.

Penpa said one way to keep workers at the factory was paying performance related bonuses at the end of the year.

"But next we need to work out a sustainable efficient mechanism to attract more young employees to join our factory," he said.

A worker spins wool string in Gyaltse Tibetan Carpet Factory. [Photo/China Daily]

A worker shears pattern on a carpet in the factory. [Photo/China Daily]

The carpet-weaving workshop of Gyaltse Tibetan Carpet Factory. [Photo/China Daily]