Editor's note: The following are opinions of artists who won prizes of the 1st Beauty of Tibet Painting Contest. In special perspectives, they tell us about Tibetan culture by their understanding. The exhibition of the contest, which is held in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolutionin, kicked off on Oct. 26 and is to conclude on Oct. 30. 

"The Tibetan culture and culture of Han can be traced to the same origins, and styles are quite different: Tibetan people prefer to use stones, cloth and so on. And as an artist, one has to really experience life there.” —Jiang Xinchen, a 57-year-old painter from Changchun, capital city of Jiling Province. He won the first prize for his painting product Expectation.

"The Tibetan Mastiff is not a common animal; it is a holy one. That is why I always name my pictures depicting them as ‘Holy Animal’. In Tibet, people regard them as a symbol of loyalty and bravety.” —52-year-old Deng Weibin from Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province. He won the fourth prize for his vivid painting of two Tibetan Mustiffs.

"I was deeply moved by the scene of pious Buddhism believers when I first went to Tibet.  As soon I returned home, I painted the product that you can see now. I bet Tibetan’ people’s peace-loving is intimately connected with their belief.” —43-year-old Song Weifeng from Hangzhong, capital city of Zhejiang Province. He won the fourth prize for his product The Jokhang Temple.

"Because of the earthquake happened in April 14, 2010, many old folk houses are too dangerous to live in. I rushed to paint a lot of them after the earthquake because I am afraid that these unique Tibetan dwellings will disappear as the local people have to build new ones to replace them." —A Tai, a 47-year-old Tibetan artist from Yushu, Qinghai Provice. His product depicting girls in Yushu won the special prize of the contest.