Pubu
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Pubu, Male, Tibetan, from Rikaze, Tibet, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Bagong (Ⅳ-170). The tradition is documented in Rikaze, Tibet. Within the regional tradition and school record of Bagong in Rikaze, Tibet: Xar bagong is a traditional Tibetan drama praying for good harvest and auspicious peace, distributed mainly in the two villages of Ladong and Nibai in Mabujia township, Sakya county, Shigatse, Tibet. In its plot expression it may be divided into singing, dance, rhyme, speech, presentation and technique; protecting this cultural heritage plays a positive part in enriching local cultural life, promoting cultural-ethical progress, carrying forward national culture and building a harmonious society. Xar bagong arose in the practice of Tibet's early “ten sciences” and originated in the time of the Tibetan king Trisong Detsen, telling of his building of Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibetan history.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Pubu is anchored in the documented technical standards of Bagong in Rikaze, Tibet. Within the documented technical tradition of Bagong in Rikaze, Tibet: Sakya county lies in the south-west of Shigatse, on the northern slope of the Himalayas and the southern bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo, its county seat one hundred and fifty kilometres from Shigatse. Its terrain is mainly high mountains and valleys and its economy mainly farming and herding. Sakya is a cultural stronghold of the later Tibet region, and the Sakya monastery, main temple of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, is there. “Xa” means in Tibetan the place where the sun first rises, and “xar bagong” means auspicious art. It is performed one show each in Ladong village and Nibai village of Mabujia township on the third and fourth days of the Tibetan minor new year, and at no other time or place. Its structure shares features with other Tibetan drama, such as the opening “don”, the plot “xiong” and the auspicious ending “tashi je”, but its dramatic form is entirely different. If the whole repertory is fully extended, the performance reaches twenty-two sections and sixteen segments, and by plot there are nearly sixty kinds of different roles and characters appearing. Its distinctive rich song and dance performance has a strong local rustic flavour, deeply loved by local people, with folk, popular and accessible features: it has a strong rustic flavour and still keeps the early costume, masks, arias, poses and plots of Tibetan opera, its artistic expression distinctive and closely combined with the Tibetan people's religious belief and folk culture, with fairly high historical, cultural and artistic value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Don, Xiong, Tashi Je (Structure)": Xar bagong's structure shares features with other Tibetan drama, such as the opening “don”, the plot “xiong” and the auspicious ending “tashi je”, but its dramatic form is entirely different. "Twenty-Two Sections and Sixteen Segments": If the whole repertory is fully extended, the performance reaches twenty-two sections and sixteen segments, with nearly sixty kinds of different roles and characters appearing by plot. "Singing, Dance, Rhyme, Speech, Presentation, Technique": In plot expression xar bagong divides into singing, dance, rhyme, speech, presentation and technique, its distinctive rich song and dance performance carrying a strong local rustic flavour.
Don, Xiong, Tashi Je (Structure)
Xar bagong's structure shares features with other Tibetan drama, such as the opening “don”, the plot “xiong” and the auspicious ending “tashi je”, but its dramatic form is entirely different.
Twenty-Two Sections and Sixteen Segments
If the whole repertory is fully extended, the performance reaches twenty-two sections and sixteen segments, with nearly sixty kinds of different roles and characters appearing by plot.
Singing, Dance, Rhyme, Speech, Presentation, Technique
In plot expression xar bagong divides into singing, dance, rhyme, speech, presentation and technique, its distinctive rich song and dance performance carrying a strong local rustic flavour.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Pubu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Bagong, with Rikaze, Tibet as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Bagong in Rikaze, Tibet: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Rikaze, Tibet as its declared area, and Sajia County Culture and Tourism Bureau (Sajia County Cultural Relics Bureau) 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
Historical origin
Xar bagong arose in the practice of Tibet's early “ten sciences” and originated in the time of the Tibetan king Trisong Detsen, telling of his building of Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibetan history.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pubu | Rikaze, Tibet | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。