Cidanduoji

01 · Lineage & Regional School

From 1946 to 1949, Cidanduoji studied and performed with the Kyormolung Tibetan opera troupe. From 1965 to 1979 he was an actor with the Tibetan Opera Troupe of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and from 1979 to 1999 he served there as a director and scriptwriter. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tibetan Opera in Tibet: Tibetan opera is a very large system of theatrical genres. Because the various parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau differ in natural conditions, living customs, cultural traditions and dialect pronunciation, it possesses numerous artistic varieties and schools. A performance is generally divided into three parts: the first, called 'dun', is chiefly the opening presentation of song and dance in honour of the deities; the second, 'xiong', mainly presents the main story of the play; the third is called 'zhaxi', meaning to bless and to welcome auspiciousness. In the course of its transmission, blue-mask opera formed four major schools according to region: Jumelong Tibetan opera, Jongba Tibetan opera, Xiangba Tibetan opera and Jianggar Tibetan opera. Among all Tibetan opera troupes and schools, Jumelong Tibetan opera is the one whose artistic development is the most complete and rich, whose influence is the greatest and which is transmitted most widely. The regions in which Jumelong Tibetan opera is distributed and influential are very extensive. Tibetan opera in the Tibet Autonomous Region is the parent body of the art, and it was carried far and wide to the Tibetan-speaking areas of the four provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan by monks who came to study in the great monasteries of central Tibet and by pilgrims; this produced branches such as Huangnan Tibetan opera in Qinghai, Gannan Tibetan opera in Gansu and Seda Tibetan opera in Sichuan. Tibetan opera originated in the religious art of the Tibetans in the 8th century. After the 1980s the Qinghai Tibetan Opera Troupe was established at Huangnan, where it created and performed outstanding plays such as Yile Xiannu, The Envoy of the Tibetan King and The Golden Dawn, which had a considerable influence at home and abroad.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Tibetan, born in 1938 in Lhasa, Tibet. He has mastered the various skills of Tibetan opera systematically and proficiently, and has developed a distinctive style of singing, directing and acting. He has directed a considerable number of newly composed Tibetan operas, including Thangtong Gyalpo (Tangdong Jiebu). Within the documented technical tradition of Tibetan Opera in Tibet: Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "": "Nuosang Fawang (King Nuosang)": The traditional repertoire of Tibetan opera is said to comprise 'thirteen great plays'. Those most frequently performed are Princess Wencheng, King Nuosang, Langsa Wenbang, Zhuowa Sangmu, Sujinima, Baima Wenba, Dunyue Danzhu, Zhimei Gengdeng and the other works grouped under the name 'the Eight Great Tibetan Operas'. Besides these there are Reqiong Wa (Riqiong Wa), Prince Yuncheng, Jingba Qinbao, Deba Dengba, Suibai Wangqu and the like; most of these plays contain Buddhist content. "Zhuowa Sangmu": The traditional repertoire of Tibetan opera is said to comprise 'thirteen great plays'. Those most frequently performed are Princess Wencheng, King Nuosang, Langsa Wenbang, Zhuowa Sangmu, Sujinima, Baima Wenba, Dunyue Danzhu, Zhimei Gengdeng and the other works grouped under the name 'the Eight Great Tibetan Operas'. Besides these there are Reqiong Wa (Riqiong Wa), Prince Yuncheng, Jingba Qinbao, Deba Dengba, Suibai Wangqu and the like; most of these plays contain Buddhist content.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of Tibetan Opera (Lhasa Kyormolung), a second-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.

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. Cidanduoji · National Representative Bearer Archive