On the banks of the surging Yarlung Tsangpo River in Riwoq Township, Ngangring County, Xigaze City, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, an enthralling performance of Jiongba Tibetan Opera is unfolding on an open ground in front of Riwoq Monastery. Dressed in vibrant costumes and wearing simple, time-honored blue masks, the performers deliver high-pitched, melodious, and far-reaching vocals that pierce the clear sky, drawing a captivated crowd of onlookers.

As one of the four major schools of blue-masked Tibetan opera, Jiongba Tibetan Opera passed down through generationsand hailed as a "living fossil of Tibetan opera".

In Riwoq Township, 39-year-old Tashi Chophel has been immersed in Jiongba Tibetan Opera for 26 years. At the age of 13, he became a disciple of the late Namgyal Tsering, a national-level representative inheritor of Jiongba Tibetan Opera as an intangible cultural heritage (ICH). From that moment, he forged an unbreakable bond with the art form. "My teacher not only taught me the singing techniques and body movements but also made me understand the cultural roots of Tibetan opera," he recalls. Today, as a regional-level ICH representative inheritor and a core member of the Jiongba Tibetan Opera Troupe, Tashi Chophel shoulders even greater responsibilities—his troupe is now nominating him as a national-level ICH representative inheritor.

Since 2018, the composition of the Jiongba Tibetan Opera Troupe has shifted. Many young people from the township have voluntarily joined, breaking the long-standing dominance of older artists. "Out of our 25 members, the vast majority are under 50, with the youngest just 16,"says the troupe's director, Gesang Lhundrup.

Two 21-year-olds, Pupuchi and Pema, from Xiga Village in Riwoq Township, joined the troupe this year. "I've loved Tibetan opera since I was a child and always wanted to learn to perform it, but I never had the chance," says Pupuchi. Last year, when several members left the troupe, she and Pema finally seized the opportunity to make their dream come true.

Gesang Lhundrup admits that the troupe's income is modest, prompting some members to seek outside work to improve their livelihoods. However, he takes comfort in the fact that young people who are passionate about the art form continue to join the ranks of Tibetan opera inheritors. "This year, we recruited eight new members, all in their twenties," he says.  

Under the traditional apprenticeship model, the troupe's young and middle-aged members have quickly mastered the performance techniques of Tibetan opera and have become the backbone of Jiongba Tibetan Opera's transmission. Through the "ICH in Schools" initiative, they actively promote Tibetan opera culture on campuses, participate in teaching and mentoring, and nurture a younger audience, building a new force for the future of Tibetan opera. "In Ngangring County, many schools have incorporated Jiongba Tibetan Opera into their recess exercises, allowing the soul of Tibetan opera to truly take root in the children's hearts. This ancient art is like our plateau's Galsang flowers—blooming vigorously, season after season," Gesang Lhundrup says with a smile.  

The influx of young and middle-aged members has infused new vitality into the ancient art of Jiongba Tibetan Opera. In 2023, 22-year-old Tenzin, the troupe's sound engineer, opened a Douyin (TikTok) account. He films and shares clips of Jiongba Tibetan Opera performances, leveraging new media platforms to expand the art's reach and help this high-altitude ICH travel beyond the plateau and into the wider world.

To promote the innovation and transmission of Jiongba Tibetan Opera, Ngangring County has ramped up financial support in recent years, providing an annual subsidy of 70,000 yuan(RMB) for performances under the "Opera in Villages" program. The Zibo aid-Xizang team has invested over 2.2 million yuan(RMB) to purchase a bus for the troupe and build a rehearsal center. Since 2022, the County Party Committee's Publicity Department has allocated over 300,000 yuan(RMB) in ICH support funds. In 2026, the county party committee and government will invest an additional 730,000 yuan(RMB) in special funds for the preservation and transmission of Jiongba Tibetan Opera.

Li Zhipeng, a standing committee member of the Ngangring County Party Committee, deputy county magistrate, and deputy leader of the 11th Zibo Aid-Xizang Work Team, says the team will continue to promote two-way efforts—encouraging the art to "go global" while bringing in resources and expertise. They will further refine the protection and inheritor training system for Jiongba Tibetan Opera, safeguarding the roots of ethnic culture and ensuring that this heritage develops as it is passed down, and is passed down as it develops.

Reporters: Ma Xiaoyan, Tenzin Gawa

Translators: Zheng Yujie, Liu Fang

Reviews: Hu Rongguo, Drakpa Wangchen