| Description |
Tibetan opera, the most popular traditional opera of minority ethnic groups in China, is a comprehensive art combining folk song, dance, storytelling, chant, acrobatics and religious performance. Most popular in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in western China, the performance begins with a prayer ceremony, including the cleansing of the stage by hunters and blessings by the elder, and concludes with another blessing. The heart of the opera is a drama narrated by a single speaker and enacted by performers supported by groups of singers, dancers and acrobats. Actors wear traditional masks of a variety of shapes and colours that contrast with their simple makeup. |
| Social and cultural significance |
As early as in 614 A.C., at the welcoming ceremony of Princess Wencheng, there was song and dance performance, wearing with mask, which had the basic element of traditional opera. At the end of 14th century, Tangdong Gyalpu, a great master of Tibetan Buddhism absorbed and integrated folk song and dance, storytelling and religious music and dance, and recreated these elements into Tibetan Opera with simple stories. In the 17th century, initiated by the Fifth Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Opera was performed on the Shoton festival. And since then, the tradition of performing Tibetan Opera by various Tibetan Opera teams on a large scale once a year has come into being.
Tibetan Opera is a comprehensive art variety including Tibetan folk songs, dances, story-telling, chanting, acrobatics, religious music and dance with its special feature of wearing masks of different shapes, colors, qualities and roles. Tibetan Opera reflects the essence of culture and art of the Tibetan ethnic group.
Since Tibetan people believe in Buddhism, dramas of Tibetan Opera mainly publicize Buddhist ideas of praising the good and punishing the evil, relation between the cause and result. Tibetan Opera has the social function of teaching and publicizing. The most often performed dramas are eight classical dramas such as Prince Wencheng, Prince Norsang, Namsa Wenbo, and Drowa Sangmu. Before the performance, the amateur Tibetan Opera performing teams hold praying ceremony or have religious ceremonies such as incense burning and Chamu (a kind of religious dance) dancing to suppress the evil spirit and make best wishes.
As an art to cohere Tibetans in different Tibetan-inhabited areas, Tibetan Opera has become an indispensable cultural program of Tibetan people, a bridge to promote ethnic unity and community unity. Tibetan Opera has been regarded as an excellent representative of Tibetan cultural heritage.
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| Transmission method |
Tibetan Opera has a time honoured history. As early as in 614 A.C., at the welcoming ceremony of Princess Wencheng, there was song and dance performance, wearing with mask, which had the basic element of traditional opera. At the end of 14th century, Tangdong Gyalpu, a great master of Tibetan Buddhism absorbed and integrated folk song and dance, storytelling and religious music and dance, and recreated these elements into Tibetan Opera with simple stories. In the 17th century, initiated by the Fifth Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Opera was performed on the Shoton festival. And since then, the tradition of performing Tibetan Opera by various Tibetan Opera teams on a large scale once a year has come into being, which helped the development of Tibetan Opera. Since the mid of the 20th century, professional Tibetan Opera troupes have been established in Tibet and Qinghai to develop Tibetan Opera by working with many amateur Tibetan Opera teams.
There are two ways of passing on Tibetan Opera, namely oral transmission and school education. In the amateur Tibetan Opera performing teams, students are taught by teachers with oral instructions. Many artists have made great contribution to the inheritance of Tibetan Opera, for instance, the founder of Tibetan Opera Tangdong Gyalpo, and other amateur Tibetan opera artists such as Tangsang, Myima Gyaltsen and Tashi Thundrup. State-level Tibetan Opera inheritors such as Tseden Dorji, Tsering, Karma Tsering, Namgayal Tsering and Dorji Taij are playing important roles in developing Tibetan Opera. When passing on the Tibetan Opera, these artists also develop this art. |
| Community |
Due to the differences of natural conditions, life customs, cultural traditions and dialects in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Tibetan Opera has various sects. In the Tibet Autonomous Region, there are White Mask Tibetan Opera, Blue Mask Tibetan Opera and Chamdo Tibetan Opera. In Qinghai Province, there are Huangnan Tibetan Opera, Huarui Tibetan Opera and Guoluo Gesar Tibetan Opera. There are Kampa Tibetan Opera, Aba Tibetan Opera, Seda Tibetan Opera, Gyalrong Tibetan Opera and Dege Tibetan Opera in Sichuan Province. And in Gansu Province, there is Gannan Tibetan Opera.
The performance and inheritance of Tibetan Opera are mainly done by the amateur Tibetan Opera performing teams of every area. The performers are half farmers and half artists, while performing is their amateur job. Famous Tibetan Opera performing teams are Chonggyal Bingdun Tibetan Opera Performing Team and Tashi Shoba Tibetan Opera Performing Team of Lokha Area, Gyanggar Tibetan Opera Performing Team and Jongba Tibetan Opera Performing Team of Shigatse Area, Chomolong Tibetan Opera Performing Team and Shoba Tibetan Opera Performing Team of Lhasa, Gyashija Tibetan Opera Performing Team, Namgya Tibetan Opera Performing Team and Dechin Monastery Tibetan Opera Performing Team of Huangnan Area of Qinghai Province. At present, there are over 160 folk Tibetan Opera performing teams in the Tibet Autonomous Region, including over 2500 staff. Nine performers such as Tseten Dorji, Tsering, Garma Tsering and Namgyal Tsering got the title of state-level inheritor of Tibetan Opera. Since the mid of the 20th century, professional Tibetan Opera troupes have been established in Tibetan-inhabited areas, currently having over 200 professional performers. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2009 |
