Tibetan Opera
01 · Historical Records
At the end of the nineteenth century the Fifth Jamyang, Tenpey Gyeltshen, and the living Buddha Langcang and others, taking historical biography and Buddhist story as their subject matter and absorbing folk song and dance and local narrative-singing with a small band, wrote and staged such far-reaching plays as Songtsen Gampo, producing a strong response in the Amdo region. Drawing on Tibetan opera research and Gannan local materials, at the end of the nineteenth century the Fifth Jamyang and others staged Songtsen Gampo and other plays, with a strong response in Amdo.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Namter Tibetan opera was first created at the personal instigation of the second abbot of Labrang monastery, when Gongtang Tenpey Drönme, imitating the performance forms of Tibetan opera, adapted the passage in the Tibetan biographical classic The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa in which a hunter is reformed into a play—the embryo of Gannan Namter Tibetan opera. Its singing builds on Amdo-dialect narrative-singing, adding the religious music of Labrang monastery and the folk song and dance of Gannan with a small band; its performance is at once monastic rite and popular entertainment, and its roles and conventions have grown richer through the joint participation of monks and laity.
Songtsen Gampo
A far-reaching play written and staged in the late nineteenth century, which produced a strong response in the Amdo region.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Namter Tibetan opera centres on the Labrang monastery area of Gannan and is popular in the Amdo Tibetan region; the various monasteries and folk performing groups exchange tunes and repertory, forming slightly differing performing styles according to region and lineage.
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
Namter Tibetan opera mostly praises positive characters, using rich imagination, strong mythical colour and bold romantic technique to present dramatic situations, with a rich ethnic and local character; it is not only an art arranged by monks but also a literary and artistic activity for the people's own entertainment, promoting unity, stability and harmonious development in the region. In the new era it too has met difficulties in survival and has been listed by Gansu province among the first ten pilot intangible cultural heritage protection projects; the locality sustains the genre 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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