Lhatse County's knife[File photo/Baidu] 

"During the Anti-British War in Gyantse during Emperor Guangxu’s reign(1875- 1908 A.D.) in the Qing Dynasty, Lhatse Tibetan knives were the best weapon," said Buda Waba who was unable to conceal his pride. "From the charcoal fire used to burn the steel, all materials used to make the knife are prepared in accordance with traditional requirements, and the process hasn’t ever changed."

In 2008, Lhatse County’s Tibetan metal forging skills were included in the list of the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage. As a sixth generation successor of Lhatse knife-making skills, every year the government of Tibet Autonomous Region provides Buda Waba with funding for the protection of this national intangible cultural heritage.

There are 12 procedures in making a knife, all of which are done by hand, including making the billet, welding, forging, grinding, carving, polishing and others. It takes a skilled craftsman 12 days of hard work to make a 60-cm-long Tibetan knife. And it requires four years to master this craft, making it a long and hard road for apprentices.

"Regardless of whether Chinese or foreign, as long as you are sincere and keen to learn, I’ll teach you." Buda Waba is convinced that knife making skills won’t be lost.

According to Lhatse County Commercial Department, there are currently dozens of families involved in traditional knife making, all of whom maintain the same handcraft used in forging traditional Tibetan knives.