Public Works

A billboard just outside of the Jiunmei Tibetan Medicine Factory advertises 'Qinghai Fearless Hospital'. The very fact that a hospital needs advertisements (and there are many other examples of this around Xining, c.f. DSCN0354) raises questions about the state ownership of hospitals in China. It seems likely that Jiunmei is a medical supplier of this hospital based on the location of the ad. In my travels I never came across this hospital's actual location.

Plaque accompanying the previous thangka in the museum's lobby. It is a representative sample of the style (and level) of English adorning many exhibitions throughout the museum. Similar plaques, spaced roughly five feet apart, run all along the record-holding thangka (not photographed) and give the names of each being or scene depicted. I could not detect any pattern in the curators' choices between giving a Sanskrit name or an awkward English equivalent. In all cases Tibetan (in Wylie transliteration) was also given.

A massive 'book' lies in the centre of the lobby bearing an inscription by Hu Jintao (current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China) in both Chinese (not shown) and Tibetan. Further research would yield a translation of its message.

Museum information on the exterior of the building. Although here the price of a ticket is given as 60 RMB, on this day I entered for only 30 RMB, with a Tibetan friend paying only 20 RMB for himself. Also, while this sign contains the command, 'No photos!' we were allowed to photograph anything in the museums central lobby. The restriction only applied to the individual display halls, such as that of the world's longest thangka.

The main nameplate of the museum. N.B. the symbolic appropriation of the museum entailed by its titular 'of China.' This sign also makes use of dbu med (yig nag) script to the exlusion of dbu chen (yig dkar), when in fact Amdowas are known for their use of the latter (Tournadre and Dorge, pg. 69).