In building a temple it is necessary to mold statues of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, carve printing blocks for scriptures and make Buddhist instruments; thus, craftsmen and artists are needed. Kathok Monastery often sent craftsmen to the interior to learn smelting skills and invited craftsmen from the interior and other regions to learn their skills. Therefore, Hepo gradually became the centre of handicrafts of Baiyu County and even the whole Garze Prefecture. By the Qing Dynasty such national arts and crafts as the Tibetan knife of Baiyu were widely known throughout Garze, and were also sold to the Tibetan regions of all the provinces and to such sountries as India, Bhutan and Nepal.

The Tibetan knives for women produced in Hepo, the green decoration in the middle of the sheath is made of shark skin

The various arts and handicrafts are collected in Kathok Monastery, including a Buddhist trumpet taller than two people standing end to end and a huge, handmade door lock, which had taken craftsmen inestimable painstaking efforts to produce them. Kathok Monastery has not only accelerated the birth of the national handicrafts of Hepo but also amassed the masterpieces of the craftsmen of Hepo.

Hepo artists are often good at several handicrafts: iron forging, carving, woodworking, painting and making Buddhist instruments. Some artists have their own scripture halls-encompassing everything from woodwork to Buddhist instruments, from gilt bodhisattvas to Thangkas on the walls; all produced from their own hands.

Of all the handicrafts of Hepo, the most famous is the Tibetan knife, which is sharp and exquisitely carved. With a tiny chisel and hammer, the artist lightly strikes a thin brass plate on a mold with various carved patterns and, gradually, such fine patterns as intertwined dragons, ominous clouds and round patterns wmerge on the plate bit-by-bit and a beautiful sheath of aknife is almost complete. A meticulously carved Tibetan knife is hammered out with those simple, even primitive tools! Because it is made entirely by hand, no two Tibetan knives from Hepo are completely identical. The materials for the knives include white brass, yellow brass, iron, and shark skin. Shark skin comes from India and the knives are sold to Changdu, Lhasa and exported to India and Nepal.