"The mountains were very high, yet I was as insignificant as sheep dung" – this is how Pudawa describes his social status as a blacksmith in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region many moons ago.The 57-year-old man is a maker of Tibetan "Lhatse" knives, renowned for their sharp blades and fine handmade artistry. His family has been making them for more than a century. With social development, the negative attitude towards blacksmiths slowly disappeared as the Tibetan hierarchical system vanished.