One of the six large monasteries of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism of China, Kathok Monastery on the Donian Mountain is the main reson for the birth and development of the handicraft industry of Hepo.

The Hengduan Mountains, with their cloud-capped peaks and deep ravines, force several torrential rivers, including Jinsha River, Nujiang River, Yalong River and Lanchang River all the way to the south. There is a Tibetan township named Hepo in this remote mountainous area isolated from the world. Located at the base of Que'ershan Mountain with an elevation of more than 6,000 meters it is separated from Tibet by a river. Although small, it is highly acclaimed in a region inhabited by Tibetans, because the famous Tibetan knife of Baiyu is produced here.

Hepo Township belongs to Baiyu County, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, Sichuan Province. It is a well-known national handicrafts township in the Tibetan region. It is said that it began to produce such iron wares as spears and knives in the Tang Dynasty. At present, 316 out of the 523 families in the township produce handmade knives.

Handmade instrument used in Buddhist masses

Why is the famous Tibetan knife made here?

A ravine called Bailong (white dragon) is at the foot of Donjian Mountain, a beautiful snow-capped mountain with an elevation exceeding 5,000 meters. More than 800 years ago (1132), a high-ranking monk, Dhanba Desi, of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism arrived here and immediately took to the mountain's physical characteristics. He settled there and established the famous Kathok Monastery, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the whole prefecture.

At an elevation surpassing 4,000 meters the magnificent monastery is one of the six large monasteries of the Nyingma School and also the largest shrine to pay religious homage in the region.