As the gongs and drums resound, the masks make their appearance. As the performers of Xiangba Tibetan Opera lift their legs and turn around, their sonorous singing voices and robust dance steps elicit waves of applause. This is a scene from anintangible cultural heritage exhibition held recently in Namling County, Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region.

The Xiangba Tibetan Opera, which circulates in Namling County, belongs to the Blue Mask School and has a history spanning over 600 years. In 2006, Namling Xiangba Tibetan Opera was included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage projects.

In the waiting area of the exhibition, the busy figure of an elderly man catches the eye. Tsering Dorje, a 76-year-old national-level representative inheritor of the Xiangba Tibetan Opera, is tidying up the costumes of the young performers who are about to take the stage.

When it comes to Xiangba Tibetan Opera, Tsering Dorje is full of enthusiasm. "I've been watching Tibetan Opera with my elders since I was a child. Later, it transformed from a daily form of entertainment into my passion and my career. I've been performing Xiangba Tibetan Opera for over 40 years," he said.

Tsering Dorje recalls that when he first started performing Tibetan Opera, there was a shortage of performers, funds, and performance opportunities, and the costumes and props were also in short supply. "With the support of the government and the efforts of the Tibetan Opera troupe, our team has continued to grow. Now, we perform in the county for every festival, big or small, and have also participated in major events such as the Lhasa Shoton Festival and the Xigaze Qomolangma Culture and Tourism Festival. With improved conditions, I am full of confidence in training more apprentices," he said.

In the view of Penden Wangchuk, the head of the Tibetan Opera Troupe of Xizang Autonomous Region, as long as there is a market and an audience, there will be a continuous driving force for the inheritance and development of Tibetan Opera. The people of Namling love watching Tibetan Opera, and performers are also passionate about performing. Often, upon hearing about an event announcement, they will sign up to participate at the first opportunity.

After years of development, Namling County has established a comprehensive inheritance system for Tibetan Opera: it boasts one national-level representative inheritor, one autonomous region-level representative inheritor, and 12 county-level representative inheritors. Relying on 11 county-level representative intangible cultural heritage projects and 11 training bases, it has spurred 30 folk Tibetan Opera troupes to be active at the grassroots level.

Nowadays, Tsering Dorje has trained many young Tibetan Opera performers, among whom five outstanding apprentices are capable of independently leading new learners. Tsering Dorje has also transitioned from the stage to behind the scenes, currently serving mainly as a backstage consultant to explain Tibetan Opera culture to the apprentices.

The exhibition also featured many young performers. Dhanaxue Tibetan Opera Troupe's 17-year-old girl, Drolma Yangkyi, had just finished performing one of the eight traditional Tibetan Operas, Padma Wenba, and received recognition from many judges, leaving her extremely happy.

"I played a male character who is kind-hearted, brave, and strong this time, in a cross-gender role. My father had played this role before, and I sought his advice before going on stage," said Drolma Yangkyi. She adds that her father and grandfather can both sing Tibetan Opera, and influenced by them, she started learning Tibetan Opera step by step at the age of six and joined the Tibetan Opera troupe in junior high school.

Drolma Yangkyi has accumulated considerable performance experience and has also performed on stage at the Lhasa Shoton Festival. She yearns for an even bigger stage, "in the future, I want to choose to further my studies in Tibetan Opera and also hope to have the opportunity to showcase Tibetan Opera culture outside the plateau."

In recent years, Namling County has promoted the continuous optimization of the talent for inheritance by establishing a children's Tibetan Opera troupe with an average age of nine, carrying out activities to bring Tibetan Opera into schools and villages, and offering Xiangba Tibetan Opera experience classes. Now, the average age of the inheritors of Xiangba Tibetan Opera has dropped to below 35.

Penpa, the deputy secretary of the Namling County Party Committee and County Mayor, said that on the basis of expanding the inheritance team and ensuring that Xiangba Tibetan Opera is "passed on," the next step is to promote the deep integration of traditional Tibetan Opera with modern technology and the cultural tourism industry, bring it into the daily lives of the people, and take it to a broader market, so that Xiangba Tibetan Opera can become "popular" and "go viral".

Reporter: Xing Tuo, Wu Yongling

Translator: Zhi Xinghua

Review: Phurbu Tsering, Drakpa Wangchen