Performers mount a Tibetan Opera in Namling, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. Photo: Li Xundian/GT

Dressed in deep-blue masks and sweeping multicolored sleeves, performers deliver soaring vocals before an attentive audience in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

The event, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xizang Autonomous Region, brought together more than 30 Tibetan Opera troupes from Namling County, Xigaze, birthplace of Xiangba Tibetan Opera, for a vibrant three-day showcase.

Considered a living fossil of Tibetan culture, Tibetan Opera blends talking, singing, acting, dancing, and literature. 

It was included on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

The Global Times traveled to Namling County, where haunting melodies of Tibetan Opera have echoed across the highland for more than 700 years, to witness how this centuries-old art form is being passed down and revitalized - infused with new life and lasting vitality.

Seeds of legacy

Backstage, 87-year-old Cidan Duoji watches the performance intently. He is also a national-level inheritor of Tibetan Opera.

"Tibetan Opera is a shining, living treasure of Tibetan culture," he told the Global Times. "It's not just a performance on stage - it's a cultural code carved into the plateau by people through song and dance."

Duoji gestures toward the distinctive blue masks on stage, saying the mask is the most distinctive language of Tibetan Opera.

Blue stands for righteousness; green, compassion; yellow is for wisdom; and red, power and dignity, he explained. 

"Each color and motif is carefully chosen — none of it is painted at random. They are profound metaphors for the soul of each character," he said.

Born in 1938 into a family steeped in the art form, Duoji first took the stage at age 8. 

"Back then, it was our greatest form of entertainment - as essential as salt in life. I often squeezed in with the elders by the simple stage, watching performers wear blue masks as they acted out joy and sorrow. The moment the drums and cymbals sounded, I couldn't move my feet," he recalled.

He has spent decades performing Tibetan Opera. 

Today, an increasing number of young people are stepping up to carry on the tradition.

Among the performing troupes, one children's team stands out. 

The children, aged between 6 and 14, are members of the Xiangba Tibetan Opera children's troupe from Guola village, Namling. 

Their teacher, Danzeng, is a county-level inheritor of Tibetan Opera - and a longtime core performer in the village's adult troupe.

"The idea came to me in the spring of 2022," Danzeng told the Global Times. 

"The treasures left by our ancestors must not be lost in our generation. We need to plant the seeds of Tibetan Opera in the hearts of children so this ­ancient art can flow on forever, like the waters of the Yarlung Tsangpo River."

Teaching children the vocal style of Tibetan Opera, its physicality, and the art of the mask is ­important, Danzeng said. 

"But even more important is ­helping them understand the deep cultural meaning behind it all," he said. 

"These children are the most ­vibrant and adaptable part of the plateau - they are the spark that will carry this art into the future." 

Tradition in progress

Local governments and cultural departments have stepped up efforts in recent years to support the ­preservation and promotion of Tibetan Opera. 

A total of 20 elementary schools across the county now offer Xiangba Tibetan Opera experience classes. 

Children's Tibetan Opera training classes are held during winter and summer breaks, with activities ­designed to encourage parents to participate in Tibetan Opera-related events.

Besides, outreach performances have expanded to senior centers and remote villages.

Nima Ciren, Party secretary of Guola village, told the Global Times that local Tibetan Opera troupes often go on tour, sometimes drawing audiences of up to 2,000 people.

"We often adjust our performances according to audience feedback. They tell us what needs improvement, and we make changes based on their feedback," said Ciren.

According to him, Guola village, in addition to regularly conducting research on Tibetan Opera and intangible ­cultural heritage, also integrates the ­government's beneficial policies for the Xizang region into ­performances to share with the local community.

In the modern era, how to breathe new life into this ancient art is a ­question Duoji has pondered deeply.

In his view, the traditional Tibetan Opera repertoire mostly features myths, legends, and historical stories. But in recent years, many heroic figures and moving stories have emerged across the country. 

"How can we use the unique artistic language of Tibetan Opera to vividly portray their patriotism and spirit of perseverance? How can we preserve the classic facial expressions under the traditional masks while also delicately conveying the complex emotions and inner worlds of contemporary characters?" said Duoji.

"These are questions we, as inheritors of this tradition, must explore through continued experimentation and innovation - generation after generation," he noted.