Before the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, there was only one professional opera troupe which was allowed by the local government to tour across Tibet. The other troupes were made up of part-time farmers, serfs and monks who only performed at festivals such as Shoton Festival, or Yogurt Festival.

In 1960, the only professional troupe was transformed into the government-run Tibetan Opera Troupe and long-dominated the market.

But, in the past decade, increasing demand for commercial shows has led to a boom in private opera troupes.

Tibet now has more than 500 private troupes. An increasing number of them have recruited professional actors.

The Narey Tibetan Opera Troupe was founded by 18 farmers in the Lhasa suburb of Narey in 1969 and now has 45 full-time actors.

"Many Lhasa people hire us to perform at weddings. Pubs and restaurants also want us to entertain tourists," said Migmar, the head of the troupe.

At these commercial shows, they perform episodes of traditional operas with folk dances and short, modern comedies.

The government-run Tibetan Opera Troupe has even made bold efforts to introduce stage sceneries and lighting as well as more musical instruments to accompany the operas.

In 2005, it also produced a new version of the traditional opera "Princess Wencheng" with the China National Peking Opera Company, combining Tibetan opera with Peking opera.

"I am not against change. In its history, Tibetan opera has changed from one generation of actors to another," said the older Tseten Dorje. "But we should first have a full understanding of old things before starting to reform."

In 2006, Tibetan opera was included in the state list of intangible cultural heritage by the Chinese government and three years later in the UNESCO world heritage list.

After retiring from the Tibetan Opera Troupe, the older Tseten Dorje has coached actors with the Narey Tibetan Opera Troupe.

With his help this season, the troupe is rehearsing the play "Princess Wencheng," one of the eight most famous Tibetan operas.

"If we finish this one, our troupe will be the first private troupe able to perform all eight operas," Migmar said.

Heated competition among private troupes made Migmar determined to learn more about traditions.

"Facing so many newcomers, in what way can we improve ourselves and get the advantage? A good one is to offer the most authentic Tibetan operas," he said.

Source: Xinhua