Tibetan Opera
01 · Historical Records
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 · Core Techniques & Process
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.
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 · Regional Records & Related Items
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.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera · Tibetan Opera.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Geser Tibetan opera fuses Tibetan Buddhist ritual, epic narrative-singing and folk song and dance, preserving the living performance form of the Geser epic along with masks, costumes and musical material of the Tibetan areas, and is of important value for ethnology, folklore and epic studies; the Dege county cultural centre sustains this art through monastic teaching and festival performances.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Danda 02-0625
- Cidanduoji 02-0626
- Langjieciren 02-0627
- Ciduo 02-0628
- Ciren 02-0629
- Cirenwangdui 02-0630
- Nimaciren 02-0631
- Gamaciren 02-0632
- Baimei 02-0633
- Renqingjia 02-0634
- Duojietai 02-0635
- Ouluxueba 04-1658
- Lixianjia 04-1659
- Taluo 05-2391
- Cairanghuadan 05-2392
- Duodan
- Biandianwangjiu
- Luosangzhaxi
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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