Table of Contents

Foreword
Tibetan Opera and Tales from Tibetan Opera
Princess Wencheng
Prince Nor-bzang
Maiden Vgro-bzang-mo
Maiden Gzugs-kyi-nyi-ma
Brothers Don-yod and Don-grub
Prince Dri-med-kun-idan
Maiden Snang-sa
Pad-ma-vod-vbar

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Preface
This is an old work of mine completed more than 20 years ago. It was sold out soon after it was published by the New World Press and, for the time being, can hardly be found on the market. Now, having won the approval from the competent publishing authorities, I have made the decision to have it reprinted, and I would like to take this opportunity to speak my mind:
1. This book, having suffered from numerous criticisms during the Cultural Revolution, almost went into extinction. Indubitably, I myself went through harsh criticism and accusation, most of which were, as it turned out, utterly false. Luckily, all this is gone. Now that everything has developed along the right lines, we might just as well let that pass.
2. Currently, Tibetan opera has become a striking symbol of the cultural development on the Chinese mainland and a dazzlingly beautiful flower in the blossoming garden of Chinese opera, which is, in essence, the fruit of the unremitting efforts of Tibetan writers and actors. Apart from the innovations in form, aria, masks, costume, music, etc, the plots of Tibetan opera themselves are marvelous spectacles with salient national traits which have won great popularity among the Chinese people. In view of this, I, as a promoter and translator of Tibetan opera, feel fairly gratified. Never shall we forget that since the 13th century, writers of successive dynasties have spared no efforts in adapting stories of the Buddhist scriptures to Tibetan opera. Thanks to their originality and superb artistic taste, unique aria and dance have been formed to express the fairly complex emotions of the characters of the opera which strike a sentimental chord in the audience, hence a complete pattern of Tibetan opera taking shape.
Undergoing vigorous development and promotion, Tibetan Opera, one of the important inheritors of Tibetan culture, has played a crucial role in carrying forward our national culture. Thanks to the performances of Tibetan Opera touring the rural and urban areas of Tibet and its continuous development, it has become more and more popular throughout China. What is to be introduced here is just the stories about the eight major Tibetan operas, and new repertoires remain to be collected and brought forth.
Also, the forms of Tibetan opera have witnessed tremendous changes. To be more exact, performances are staged in theatres rather than on squares; previously, the audience was just composed of farmers and herdsmen. Now, almost all rural and urban residents have become Tibetan opera fans. Moreover, music and costumes in the opera have been greatly improved. Getting close to the actual conditions, daily life and the common people has become the new developmental orientation of Tibetan opera. To develop a strong socialist culture in China, it is critical to inspire the cultural creativity of the whole nation. On the part of myself, I think Tibetan opera has a promising future. In this sense, the reprinting of this Tibetan Opera Tales serves to be a small gift of mine. 
Recently, Mr. Chi Ren Langjie, a teacher from the University of Tibet, paid a visit to me. He has been working for his doctorate in the Tibetan opera program in the Central Conservatory of Music, which further shows that Tibetan opera has won its due attention in the research field.