Thubten(1934-) Master Performer

by+Nancy+Gong

Almost everyone in Tibetan operatic circles knows his name， and he only uses one. At 82， Thubtens career has been prolific after about 500 performances， including many of his own work， and numerous other pioneering campaigns.

He transplanted the performing art of cross-talk and other Chinese folk art forms from northern China to Tibet for a production of King Gesar， an epic of talking-singing art strongly flavored with Tibetan mystery. Thubten is also the mind behind Auspicious Heavens， a Lamaism musical that has graced both stage and screen. In 2006， he was awarded the Fourth Peony Lifetime Achievement Award in Chinese Opera， the top honor for operatic performers in the country.

Thubten was born in October 1934 in Lhasa. At age 6， he was sent by his parents to a monastery named Kundeling， where he got the chance to watch Tibetan opera and other traditional operatic forms， including King Gesar. He began to learn Tibetan opera in the monastery at age 12.

After Tibets peaceful liberation in 1951， Thubten left Kundeling Monastery and joined a troupe of younger Tibetan performers. His maiden work， Vbrasdkar， an adaption of the oldest Tibetan opera， was broadcast during the Tibetan New Year in 1960. The production was so adored by audiences that it is now customarily rebroadcast every New Years Day on the Tibetan calendar.

Thubten became a member of Lhasa Song and Dance Troupe when it was established in December 1960 because it would create better opportunities to visit influential folk artisans across Tibet and improve his skills.

Another success came when he enriched the content and form of cross-talk as it rose in popularity in Tibetan. “I stayed around when a bunch of senior spectators swarmed me to shake my hand，”grinned Thubten. Soon afterwards， he showed his talent in other countries， including the United States.

None of his adaptions or performances made him prouder than King Gesar. “No one has ever done it before，” he asserts.

King Gesar， a heroic legacy of the Tibetan people， has been hailed a “Homers Epic in the Orient.” Its about the story of King Gesar， a legendary hero in Tibetan history， who fought devils and warded off evil spirits to protect his people. “Not only does it tell a heroic story， but it depicts a big picture of ancient Tibet，”commented Tsering Phuntsog， an expert on King Gesar from the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences.

For thousands of years， the epic has been handed down from generation to generation， in various editions. To share it with bigger audiences， Thubten covered every tedious detail during exhaustive preparations. He paid visits to five experts before opening the opera.

He spent even more energy on costumes. In the chapter Beat on the Battle， the Kings headwear is described as big enough to“contain four continents， a bridge， a lake， and 62 mountains，” decorated with 35 kinds of jewelry and feathers of 16 birds. “Its more than just a cap，” illustrates Thubten. “Its about the wisdom of our ancestors and the artistic talent of performers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.” He decided to construct a cap exactly as was described.

No one could imagine how he made it happen. It took almost four years to round up the feathers. Looking for parrots， considered the symbol of achievement， he traveled to many places and ended up with some feathers from a monastery in Lhasa. A senior employee at Norbulingka Zoo， also in Lhasa， gave him some redcrowned crane feathers as a gift. The owl feathers were imported from Nepal.

Not until the 1980s did Thubten debut his talking-singing version King Gesar on stage. Everyone in attendance was awed by the brilliant， refreshing performance in exquisitely-made costumes. The olden Tibetan opera was injected with vigor and vitality.

His great contribution has helped open doors to other parts of the world. In 1987， Thubten was invited to the international art festival in London. Later， he brought King Gesar and his talking-singing art to Italy， Switzerland， Greece， Sweden and Norway.