The management of Dege Sutra-Printing House

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The management of Dege Sutra-Printing House used to comply with the Regulations for the Management of Dege Sutra-Printing House formulated by Chokyi Tenpa Tsering and Situ Chokyi Jungne before 1949. Its management organ was composed of the dean, the house-keeper and secretary, the candidates of which were lamas both excellent in behavior and capable of management recommended by khenpo the abbot of the Gengqing Temple and nominated by the headman, Their term of service was three years. In 1979 the Relics Management Institute of Dege County was established and in 1985 it was renamed the Relics Management Institute of Dege Sutra-Printing House responsible for the management and protection of the ancient building and relics of the House and for carrying out appropriate business of printing and selling cultural documents and travel service.

In the past 100 years Dege Sutra-Printing House with its vast collection of ancient books and documents and its unique Tibetan block-printing has attracted both Chinese and foreign scholars and specialists and tourists from home and abroad. In as early as the time of the Chinese Republic famous Chinese scholars Li Anzhai, Ren Naiqiang, Gao Jingmin and YangZhifu inspected Dege personally and wrote articles to introduce Dege Sutra-Printing House. After 1949 many Tibetologists and social inspection teams sent by Central Nationality University and Southwest Nationslity College made special investigations to Dege Sutra-Printing House. After 1980s well-known Chinese and foreign personnel and scholars who came to visit and inspect Dege Sutra-Printing House were increasing. For example, Muya Gonpo, well-known scholar from Beijing National Cultural Palace, Tuden Nyima, well-known scholar from Sichuan Provincial Commission of Nationalities and Dr. Gele from Chinese Centre of Tibetan Studies put forward valuable suggestions for the management and printing work of the ancient classics of Dege Sutra-Printing House. And the well-known Living buddha BabangSitu of the Kagyupas, a Tibetan living abroad, showed much concern for the preservation and repair of Dege Sutra-Printing House and its ancient classics when he returned to Dege in 1984 and 1991 respectively. In September 1998, the Ganzi Prefectural Government worked out the nature and target for the sorting and management of ancient classics, which stressed on the classical editions of Dege Sutra-Printing House. This will certainly add further glories to Dege Sutra-Printing House in the cultural treasury of the world.