Duodan

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Duodan, Male, Tibetan, from Dege, Sichuan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Tibetan Opera (Ⅳ-80). The tradition is documented in Dege, Sichuan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tibetan Opera in Dege, Sichuan: Geser Tibetan opera originates at Zhuqing monastery in Dege county and is popular in Dege and Ganzi in western Sichuan and the surrounding Tibetan areas; because it coincides with the areas where the Geser epic circulates, its repertory and the Geser narrative-singing of various places influence one another, and its performance venues are mostly the open grassland around monasteries. Geser Tibetan opera originated at Zhuqing monastery in Dege county, Sichuan (of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism); its staging began in 1870 and it has a history of more than one hundred and thirty years. Its founder was the fifth abbot of Zhuqing monastery, the living Buddha Tubten Chöying Dorje, who directed its staging, attending personally to script, tune, mask, costume and movement. Drawing on Tibetan opera research and Dege local materials, since 1870 it has gradually spread from Nyingma monasteries to monasteries of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, forming a transmission pattern centred on monasteries with monks and folk artists taking part together.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Duodan is anchored in the documented technical standards of Tibetan Opera in Dege, Sichuan. Within the documented technical tradition of Tibetan Opera in Dege, Sichuan: The opera so arranged was formally danced at Zhuqing monastery's “breaking the ninth” festival, its characters including Geser's thirty generals, eleven heroines and other officers and men. In ordinary performance dozens of actors dance together, and with the largest casts more than one hundred and eighty take part. Geser Tibetan opera was at first performed in exchange among monasteries of the Nyingma school and later developed to performances in monasteries of the five great schools. It is generally performed at the Tibetan New Year, at sacrificial rites and at religious festivals, mostly choosing the open grassland around monasteries as its venue. Before performance the monastery organises monks to arrange it, and in the process new lamas and trabas keep joining, so that the old lead the new and Geser Tibetan opera develops and is transmitted. It takes as its theme the praise and commemoration of the epic hero Geser, drawing nourishment from manuscripts of the Geser epic and folk legend and full of a mysterious, archaic cultural atmosphere. The earliest Geser Tibetan opera performed mainly Dansheng Ji, Saima Dengwei and Shifa Dashi Caibao, later increasing to more than ten plays. Its performance takes the praise of the epic hero Geser as its theme with characters including Geser's thirty generals and eleven heroines, casts reaching more than one hundred and eighty, and a repertory grown from the earliest plays to more than ten. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Dansheng Ji (The Birth)": One of the earliest contents performed by Geser Tibetan opera, drawn from the Geser epic. "Saima Dengwei (Winning the Throne by Horse Race)": One of the earliest contents performed by Geser Tibetan opera, drawn from the Geser epic. "Shifa Dashi Caibao (Bestowing the Treasures of Dashi)": One of the earliest contents performed by Geser Tibetan opera, drawn from the Geser epic.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Duodan was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Tibetan Opera, with Dege, Sichuan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Tibetan Opera in Dege, Sichuan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Dege, Sichuan as its declared area, and Dege County Cultural Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Duodan (Dege, Sichuan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Duodan · China ICH Official Archive