Nyima Tsering and His Yellow Mask Opera Troupe

ON August 14， 2012， a group of Tibetan farmers gathered in a cornfield by a hamlet in Changzhu Town， Nedong County， Shannan Prefecture in southern Tibet. They weren’t here， however， to farm or enjoy the country air， but to rehearse a unique form of Tibetan opera in preparation for the upcoming Lhasa Shoton Festival， one of the biggest events of the year among Tibetan communities. After a traditional drumtuning ritual involving the heating and cleaning of the leather-covered instrument， the rehearsal commenced to the sound of rumbling drums.

The play they， members of the Yarlung Tashi Serpa Opera Troupe， were rehearsing was Northanger His Holiness， a Yellow Mask Tibetan Opera classic that usually takes between five and seven hours to perform. Center stage， or field， was director and lead actor nyima tsering.

The 40-year-old is the officially appointed custodian of Yarlung Tashi Serpa Opera， a national intangible cultural heritage， and is colloquially referred to as the Yellow Mask Opera.

A Lasting Legacy of a Legendary Lama

Yarlung Tashi Sherpa is the original name of the town where the art was born and the troupe is based. Tibetan Opera is believed to be created by 14th-century lama Thangtong Gyalpo， who was also a talented architect， metallurgist and artist. During his alleged 125-year life he constructed 58 iron-chain bridges， much improving the road system in this mountainous region. As such， he is highly esteemed by Tibetans.

Yarlung Tashi Serpa is a genre of Tibetan Opera， distinguished from others in such aspects as rhyme scheme， dance steps， costumes and props. It still retains many unique details closely related to its founder Thangtong Gyalpo. For example， every performance starts with the yell of “yi hahahahahah，” an imitation of the unrestrained howls of excitement that escaped Thangtong when he received more donations of iron chains to make bridges.

Players of Yarlung Tashi Sherpa Opera wear yellow masks with white rims. This design is meant to commemorate Thangtong’s hard work forging iron for the bridges. Working by the hot charcoal furnace every day， his chest was blackened and his face became sallow.

It usually takes about two years to make one of these yellow masks， says Nyima Tsering， with the most timeconsuming task the creation of the goat hair that adorns it. Not every goat is suitable to produce fibers of the required standard. The craftsman must select a kid according to rigorous standards and then entrusts it to a local herdsman to raise it.

To guarantee a healthy body of hair， the animal is fed with the best fodder and groomed every day using a specialized method. When the goat reaches two years old it is slaughtered and skinned. The hide is tanned， trimmed and combed before being finally fastened to the mask.

According to Sonam Gyatso， a scholar of Tibetan folk literature， masks used in Tibetan opera have been in many colors during its long history， including red， blue， black， white and yellow. In the past， says Gyatso， each color represented the different status and occupation of characters that wore them. For example， the yellow mask signified great virtues and extensive learning， and was hence reserved for dignitaries， while the blue mask was for young female roles. The yellow mask in Tashi Sherpa Tibetan Opera， therefore， conveys reverence and admiration for the opera’s founder， the respected and eminent guru.

Heirs to an Ancient Art

Gyatso agrees with other scholars that the Yellow Mask School has been in the shadows for too long and that it is time to bring it back into the spotlight. This is what Nyima Tsering and his team are committed to.

Surrounded by the world of Tibetan Opera since his childhood， Nyima has special affinity with the art. “When I was young， there were few professional performances in my village around the year. But even on the rare occasions of hearing a fragment of song from fellow farmers in the field， my ears would prick up immediately，” Nyima recalled.

He started learning the opera at 16. For the first couple of years he struggled， and it was not until he reached 18 that he grasped its essence and began to improve in leaps and bounds.

“Although I’m not native to this village， when we settled here my father told me that it is the birthplace of the Yarlung Tashi Sherpa Opera，” Nyima said. “He suggested that I take on the responsibility of keeping the opera alive and thriving， as it’s a treasure of our culture.”

So in the early 1990s， upon seeing neighboring villages had established Tibetan Opera troupes， Nyima founded his own with seven friends who shared his passion for the art.

But they had scant funds. They couldn’t even afford the cheapest props and musical instruments. In their plight， they looked to Thangtong Gyalpo for inspiration and followed his example by putting on street performances to raise funds. On the simple stage they established in Lhasa’s bustling Pargor Street， the fresh-faced fledgling performers danced the ancient Tashi Sherpa Opera and managed to raise RMB 6，000 to purchase costumes and props.

“If we had not plucked up courage to take that first step， our troupe would not have reached its current state，” Nyima remarked after recalling those hard early days.

The venerable Tibetan theatrical art has seen a strong revival after China initiated a program to preserve its intangible cultural heritage. Nyima Tsering’s troupe was selected as one of the national intangible culture inheritance projects， with him as the opera’s representative inheritor. This entitles his troupe to a national support fund of RMB 40，000 every year. Later， the sum was raised to RMB 250，000.

“We’re truly full of gratitude for this policy supporting folk art troupes. Finally we don’t need to worry about funding problems any more， and can focus on artistic development，” Nyima said. The grant enables him to pay each of his actors a daily wage of RMB 70， offering them monetary incentives and， more importantly， bestowing upon them the dignity and respect that they deserve.

“In old Tibet， artists were of the same social status as beggars. However， with national support we’ve been empowered，” he said. “Currently， we are happy that we can put on performances for neighboring temples and villages whenever invited without worrying about how much they pay us or even whether they pay us at all. In many cases we give free performances， but enjoy the process and have built ourselves a reputation.”

Nowadays， Nyima’s troupe puts on dozens of shows every year， making a splash at all kinds of religious events and festivals. They even have a new venue in their own village – the Yarlung Tashi Performance Hall – which was recently completed thanks to an allocation of RMB 6 million from the aid fund for Tibet.

Nyima is very optimistic about the future， but also expresses concerns about recruitment of players. As the popularity of this native opera surges， the pool of potential players have swollen. But they are mostly amateurs whose artistic quality varies wildly and who are occupied with farm work for most of the year. It takes generations’ and the whole public’s efforts to preserve and promote the centuries-old cultural legacy， ensuring its beauty can be appreciated by people in future ages.