The blue mask Tibetan opera [Photo/Internet]

Sep. 18 (Kangba TV)--40-year-old Abo Chungchung is from Yendum, Chagyab, Qamdo, Tibet. At 2016 Tibetan Spring Festival Gala, as the inheritor of “Yendum Tibetan Opera”, the folk performance troupe of “Yendum Tibetan Opera” consisting of him and other 46 fellows performed the “art treasure” of his hometown on the stage of the Gala for the first time.

“Yendum Tibetan Opera” is a folk genre of “the blue mask Tibetan opera” in Tibetan-inhabited regions. From movements to costumes, props to dialogues, song and dance to tunes, all reflect strong flavor of life and distinctive features of Kam. Therefore, it is locally called as “Lang Ta Kang Lu Ma” with the meaning of biographical opera of Kangba style.

Along with the drumbeats like rain striking eave, Yendum’s farmers and herdsmen who get accustomed to using hoes and whips were led to the stage by Abo Chungchung. They dressed gorgeous costumes for Tibetan opera and worn blue-black masks. The forehead of the mask is decorated with golden sun and moon and there are short yellow tassels at both sides of cheeks. On the nose are shells and beads. Sometimes, they stroll idly; sometimes, they walk quickly. They soon get into respective characters.

“Our show is Drowa Sangmo, one of the eight classical Tibetan operas. It tells the royal struggle of a small kingdom founded by Monpa people in the mountainous region of Himalaya. We often perform this opera at slack season, so we had given the show without too many rehearsals.” Abo Chungchung told the reporter, it was the first time that their performance site had been changed from field to the beautiful stage. They were excited. Abo Chungchung also hopes that their team can perform the Tibetan opera at more places.

The blue mask Tibetan opera [Photo/Internet]

Abo Chungchung said, performers were selected from door to door and trained and taught by him and the pervious inheritors of “Yendum Tibetan Opera”. “We usually perform such traditional plays as Drowa Sangmo and Drimed Kunden. The male female ratio of the team is unbalanced, so Aba often wears chaplet and applies lipstick to play the female role”,he smiled.

It is reported that Yendum Tibetan Opera was listed into the Intangible Cultural Heritages of Tibet Autonomous Region by the People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region in 2010 and awarded with nearly RMB 2 million for preservation, together with 8 folk Tibetan operas such as Juemulong Tibetan Opera of Dechen of Lhasa and Xiangba Tibetan Opera of Namling of Shigatse.

“The fund is mainly used to cultivate young inheritors and improve existing teaching facilities. That the folk performance troupe of “Yendum Tibetan Opera” was invited to give a performance at the Tibetan Spring Gala is to provide a larger platform to show the valuable cultural resources and let more people feel the unique charm of folk “Yendum Tibetan Opera”, said by Yarphel, an officer of Qamdo Bureau of Culture.