Chinese Ethnic Performing Arts (4) 高原演艺

“Highland Cultures”

 

The Qinghai-Tibet plateau, known as “the roof of the world”, is composed of far-stretching mountains, lofty icy peaks and precipitous grand canyons. Mount Qomolangma, meaning "the third goddess" in the Tibetan language, or Everest as it is known in the West, is the world's highest peak, more than 39,000 feet high. Qomolangma teems with snow-capped peaks and glaciers. It boasts four peaks above 8,000 meters, and 38 peaks above 7,000 meters, thus reputed as the Third Pole on the earth. Glaciers of the modern era are found at the foot of the mountain, and deep caves and snaking ice rivers present a magnificent view around Qomolangma. The Tibetan, Qiang and Yi ethnic groups live in this area.

 

Tibetans originated from the nomadic, warlike tribes known as the Qiang. Chinese records of these tribes date back as far as the 2^nd century BC. However, the people of Tibet were not to emerge as a politically united force until the 7^th century AD. Buddhism was introduced into Tibet in that century and developed into Lamaism by assimilating some of the beliefs and rites of the local religion called "Bon." Lamaism is divided into many different sects, each claiming to be orthodox. Apart from the Red sect, all the others, including the White sect, the Sakya sect and the Yellow sect, at different times established local regimes that integrated political and religious powers.

 

Nearly every Tibetan can sing and dance. They sing anytime for any event and dance at festivals, weddings, gatherings and during their spare time. Tibetan people have created and developed their brilliant and distinctive culture during a long history of continuous exchanges and contacts with other ethnic groups in China. From historical records we can see that more than a thousand years ago, folk, religious and sorcerers' dances were very popular in Tibet. That kind of ancient culture has promoted the development of the Wild Bull Dance, Yak Dance, Deer Dance, Crane Dance, Peacock Dance, Sorcerers' Dance, Drum Dance and other kinds of folk dances that have been handed down to this day by Tibetan, Qiang and Yi ethnic groups.

  

Among many Tibetan performing art forms, one of the most remarkable is Tibetan theater. The Tibetan people call their folk theater “Ache Lhamo” or  "Lhamo," meaning "Sister Fairy" in Tibetan. The secular theater of Tibet has the unique distinction of being the oldest living theater in the world. It employs singing, dancing and praising to tell stories. Lhoma dates back about 1,400 years. It reflects the Tibetan people's lives in various periods. The original scripts from which the theaters were adapted have remained popular readings among Tibetans for centuries. There are about 20 traditional programs, but unfortunately some of the play scripts have been lost, and only the names, and sometimes the plots, are known today. The remaining repertoire of the traditional programs centers on historical tales and legends, represented by Princess Wencheng; romantic fables, represented by Dhama King Norsang; and social life, represented by Miss Langsha. Over the centuries, Tibetan theater has formed a three-part stage format. In the prelude, known as "Wenbadun," Wenba men in blue masks, two Jialu men and several fairies take the stage, performing religious rituals, songs and dances, introducing the actors and actresses, and explaining the story line of the opera that is to follow. The second part is the opera itself. The third part is an epilogue which features a blessing ceremony and is also an occasion for the presentation of “Ha-da” (Presenting a ha-da is to offer the long silk scarf with both hands to show the highest respect), and soliciting donations from the audience.

 

Tibetan theater calls for skills in singing, dancing, elocution and martial arts. The singing is sonorous and marked by drawls at the end. Frequent use of ensembles and choruses both on and off stage adds more impact to the singing. The dance movements are exaggerated and very energetic. Scenes that occur in everyday life, such as when two persons meet or when they bid farewell to each other, are also projected in a dancing style. The primitive simplicity and vigor demonstrated in the singing and dancing is effectively set off by typical Tibetan landscapes on the backdrop. A paper by Attisani (1999) has described the Tibetan theater from different aspects. However, that study was based mainly on the author’s work with the exiled Tibetan group in Dharamsala, India. Some of the major developments and current status of Tibetan theater in Tibet were not discussed in his work.

 

The Tibetan theater “Princess Wencheng” is one of the eight great classical theaters in Tibetan history. "Princess Wencheng" portrays Princess Wencheng of the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), who in 641 AD married Songtsam Gambo (617-650 AD), a man of wisdom and courage and king of the Tubo Kingdom in Lhasa in the 7^th century. Songtsam Gambo was the first Tibetan who introduced Buddhism and the Chinese Tang culture to Tibet. The hero is Lu Dongzan, King Songtsan Gambo's special envoy to the Tang Dynasty court in Chang'an to sue for the hand of a Tang princess. The theater depicts the wisdom of the envoy who passed seven tests given by the Tang emperor and finally won his approval to take Princess Wencheng to marry Songtsan Gambo. According to Tibetan historical records, King Songtsan Gambo greatly admired the costumes, music and dancing of the Tang Dynasty introduced to Tibet by Princess Wencheng when she married the Tibetan king. He arranged for the training of 16 beautiful girls in a combined art form of the Tang-style and Tibetan folk music and dancing in order to entertain the princess. Later, this entertainment developed into a more clearly defined form of dancing, singing and praising. "Princess Wencheng" employs the royal court dances of the Tang Dynasty, as well as Buddhist dancing and Tibetan folk dances, resulting in the distinctive feature of this artistic creation. The colorful folk dances, and in particular the pas de deux of the princess and Tibetan king, show both softness and hardness in the couple, and they impress the audience with unbeatable harmony and elegance. Figure 4 shows the performers of "Princess Wencheng“. It can be seen from the figure that both modern make-up and traditional masks are used. The performers wear white masks over their heads and traditional clothing in white. In their right hands they hold a dadax (an arrow decorated with multicoloured silk ribbons) as a symbol of auspiciousness and purity.

 

A comprehensive view into Tibetan history, culture, religion, music, dance and customs is presented in the Tibetan dance drama called "Qomolangma" which features resounding music and solemn dances. The drama includes many styles of Tibetan dances, including the Simchuo Dance from Xigaze, the Plait Drum Dance from Shannan and the Xuan Dance from Ngari. The drama not only includes representations of many famous people in Tibetan history, such as Songtsan Gambo and Princess Wencheng, but also reflects the Tibetan society of today. The six-part drama not only gave the festival unforgettable aesthetic beauty, but also expressed the philosophy and pursuits of Tibetan people of all ages and classes. It is said that the drama has been staged more than 500 times since it made its debut in 1999 and it has become highly renowned nationwide.