Chosum (right) and his elder brother Tsering give a thangka painting class during a recent charity event in Beijing. Du Lianyi / China Daily

Tibetan students learn filigree crafting at Chosum's Limin Xuetang in Xining, Qinghai province. Photos provided to China Daily

A school offers vocational and language training to Tibetan herders, whose nomadic upbringings didn't allow for formal education. Chen Nan reports.

Tibetan herder Pamo migrated to Qinghai province's capital Xining from the Yushu Tibet autonomous prefecture's remote Nangqen county to find a job in 2006.

But he discovered translating his dream into success was harder than he'd imagined, because he didn't speak Mandarin and couldn't read Chinese characters.

Pamo is exactly the kind of person Chosum, who is also from Nangqen, is devoted to helping.

"What Pamo said shocked me," Chosum says.

"He couldn't order food in restaurants or find the toilet. There are many Tibetan herders coming to big cities looking for jobs who face similar problems. I wanted to do something for Pamo and people like him."

That's why Chosum founded a school to teach them marketable skills.

Nomadic lifestyles are the main reason many herders lack education. For centuries, many Tibetans have frequently moved their tents to find fresh grazing land for their yaks, horses and sheep.

But such an unstable upbringing hinders children's education and isolates them from society.

Chosum also grew up on the grasslands, but the 31-year-old attended school in Xining from age 6.

He explains some herders never attend school. They live their entire lives herding on the prairies.

"Some seek jobs in cities but can't speak Mandarin and lack other skills," he says.

"So, they have nothing to do all day. They kill time in bars or playing video games. Some eventually turn to crime."

This understanding led Chosum to open his school, Limin Xuetang, in the mountains about 8 km outside of Xining in 2006.

He previously did business in Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou, exporting traditional silver and jade Tibetan jewelry to India and Nepal. The business did well enough to enable him to live a decent life.

Despite his family's opposition, Chosum - the fourth of seven children - has poured his savings into the school.

Limin Xuetang began after Chosum posted his idea online. Two bags of children's clothing donated by friends provided the first push toward the school's development.

The herders appreciated the clothing, as the area can be cold because it is 3,800 meters above sea level.

Volunteers started traveling to the school to provide language classes and moral education. The school began offering vocational training in thangka painting, filigree crafting and Tibetan incense production.

Yishi Dorje had never received education before attending Limin Xuetang.

The 22-year-old could only speak Tibetan and couldn't write. He previously earned most of his money digging and selling caterpillar fungus used in traditional medicine. He sometimes painted in temples.

Yishi Dorje, along with 82 other students, has been studying ever since Chosum's school officially opened in 2010. He started learning pinyin and within two years was able to speak Mandarin and send text messages in Chinese characters.

The school now has about 300 students aged 6 to 35. They are divided into different classes according to age and interest.

"Yishi Dorje is good at filigree," Chosum says.

"He sold two works last year for more than 600 yuan. That's a huge sum for impoverished students like him. He was very happy. I was even happier."

Chosum also founded the Li-min Association of Yushu after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the prefecture three years ago, and he traveled through the disaster zone as a volunteer.

"I met an old woman sitting on the road crying," he recalls.

"Some children sat next to her. She pressed her palms together, begging for help. At that moment, I felt my power was so small, but I was determined to help them."

The next day, he organized more than 30 people to distribute medical supplies and daily items.

Chosum has been joined by his elder brother, Tsering, who teaches thangka painting at the school.

The Beijing Film Academy graduate also made a documentary about the Yushu earthquake that was screened in the academy.

He finished his first movie, Heart Hunter, two years ago. It tells the story of his hometown.

"My family is Buddhist," Tsering says. "We believe in kindness, compassion and karma. My brother is doing the right thing."

Chosum stayed home to care for his sick mother when she fell ill, until she passed away last year.

"She didn't support me at first, but in her last days, she touched my head and told me she no longer blamed me for acting against her wishes," he recalls.

Chosum recently opened a new campus in downtown Xining and says his dream is to open branches in more locations.

He's delighted that a group of students, including Yishi Dorje, decided to open their own handicraft studio this year. Some want to stay on at the school as teachers.

"I didn't know what it meant to dream," Yishi Dorje says.

"I lived day-by-day. Now, I have two dreams - being a volunteer and becoming a man like Chosum."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily USA 06/25/2013 page10)