More Performers Eye Tibetan Culture
( 09/25/2001)

Dramas, operas, singing and dancing shows given by troupes from different regions across China have helped to spread understanding of Tibetan culture to audiences of a national art show.

Nearly a quarter of the performances at the ongoing Second National Joint Art Show by Ethnic Minority Groups in Beijing focus on cultural customs of Tibet, long considered an exotic and holy place in southwest China.

The complex history and the geographic location that has isolated Tibet from a lot of visitors in the country are drawing more curiosity from the public, said Zhaxi Doje, head of the Tibetan Opera Troupe.

"Phagsba, Tutor of Yuan Emperor" and "The Panchen Lhama's Eastward Tour", two modern dramas performed by theater troupes of Shaanxi and Hebei provinces in north China, depict China's unification process involving the great efforts of Mongolian, Manchu, Han and Tibetan ethnic minorities.

The playwright of both pieces, Sun Demin, said art works of ethnic minority themes should express the unique personalities of the lead characters and highlight the important roles they played in promoting China's national unification.

More experts of other ethnic backgrounds in the art circle are trying to incorporate Tibetan culture, especially the Tibetan opera, into new art forms.

The Tibetan Opera Troupe has also made changes to the original eight leading Tibetan operas and created some new ones that deal with issues of modern life.

(People's Daily)