Tibet has an ancient and distinctive cultural
tradition and an abundant and colorful heritage of
literature and the arts, tibetan people are accomplished at
singing and dancing, tibetan women have played an important
part in carrying on. Stevedoring and spreading Tibetan
culture and art.
''King Gesar'', the world's
longest epic created by the rlbetan people, existed only as
an oral history among the tibetan people and was performed
using dialogue and pinging. It has incorporated almost all
the strong points of the tibetan folk literature.
Among the well-known performers of the epic is
a woman lamed Gyu-me. Through dialogue and singing, she can
present more than 100 vivid personalities.
Gyu-me was born in 1959 Sog County. Her father
was a famous performer for uKlng Gesar'' but he died while
still fairly young. Gyu-me herself can sing 70 parts of this
epic. In 1981 she was invited to Lhasa to record the epic.
By 1989 she had already recorded ten parts, which totalled 4
million words, including the ''Fighting in Talin''. Her
contribution has provided a means to study this epic. Today
the retrieval, collation and study of this epic has been
included in the state's key social science research
projects.
Yeshe Dolma, a Tibetan writer has
made a remarkable contribution to the contemporary
literature. As a state's first rank author both of her
scenario, ''Ai the Remote Pasture'' and the short story
''Beauty and Ugliness'' have won the national award.
G.yang-can, deputy editor-in-chief of the
magazine ''Tibetan Literature,'' ls a new addition to the
literary world, with the publication of her novel, ''Rosy
Stamen.'' Degyi Tsomo's short stories and Pema Yangzom's
verses are also well-received by readers.
Tibet is considered a sea of songs and dances.
Among Tibetans, Tsetop Dolma is the best performer. A
one-time serf, she has become the state's leading singer.
She has performed in many countries all over the world. In
1989 she won the national Golden Gramophone Award. She is
now the Vice- President of the China Federation of Literary
and Art Circles, Vice-president of the Association of
Chinese Musicians and Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous
Region Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
To help Tibetan culture and arts to flourish,
the local federation of literary and art circles and the
cultural department have set up the Qomolangma Literary and
Art Foundation through Tsetop Dolma's proposition and
efforts.
In August 1993, the foundation held
its first awards ceremony, at which Tsetop Dolma and other
leaders awarded 32 writers and artists and an artists'
collective the Qomolangma golden Image Prize, the highest
honor for literal and artistic achievements in the Tibet
Autonomous Region.
Tsering Sangmo is an expert
in Tibetan dance and an outstanding Tibetan dance educator.
She is now a member of the Chinese Dancers' Association and
a member of the council of the Chinese Society of Ethnic
Dances.
In 1959 Tsering Sangmo began dance
training classes in Beijing's Central Institute for
Nationalities and became one of the first group of female
Tibetan students who specialized in glancing since the
peaceful liberation of Tibet.
Six years later
she graduated as one of the top students and began a
successful career as a performer. The tibetan dances she
choreographed have won prizes both at home and abroad.
She has traveled alt over tibet to research
into and collect carious traditional dances. On the basis of
her studies, she has written the first teaching material for
dance, which has brought he history of Tibetan dance from
oral histories to the page. This was the first textbook on
Tibetan dances which was awarded 'he top prize for teaching
materials by the institute. It has been chosen by more than
ten artistic schools, institutes and art troupes in the
country to train their students.
Now Tsering
Sangmo has hundreds of students. At the three National
Artistic Schools and Institutes ' Taoli Cup Competitions of
Chinese Dances, seven of her students won the prizes for
their performances, the prizes for ten best performances for
youth group and teenager group.
Dolma, a young
Tibetan dancer who is also a student of Tsering Sangmo, won
the highest award at the second Taoli Cup dance competition
and the honor of one of the Ten Best National Dancers. Like
her teacher, Dolma loves her own nationality and native
homo. Every year she returns to that piece of land where she
was brought up to feel the extensiveness and profoundness of
the Tibetan culture. She has brought new life to the Tibetan
dances, using techniques of exaggeration and distortion. She
blends Tibetan folk dancing traditions using taps and
revolutions with other styles, and has evolved the Tibetan
dances from original self-entertainment to an unrestrained
dancing with aesthetic bearing and a strong national flavor.
Dolma's dances, ''The Qomolangma, '' ''The
Yarlung Zangbo River '' ''Mother'' and ''The Morning Song In
Plateau'' have caused a sensation at home and abroad.
During a performance on Mothers' Day, she told
the audience in the Tibetan language, ''please allow me to
present my dances to my mother and all the mothers in the
remote snowy plateau.''
To train more young
Tibetan artistic talents, the University of tibet has set up
an arts department, where young people can study painting,
music, dance and receive a good education.
Among the paintings displayed in the showroom
within University of Tibet many are painted by female
students.
Tsering Degyi's oil painting ''Three
Lhasa Girls'' and Degyi Yangzom's ''Moonlit Night'' possess
the strong charm of the tibetan nationality.
Byangchub-Mdzesma is a worthy Tibetan painter.
Her forks include Tibetan "Tangka'' paintings, oil
paintings and prints. On many occasions her work has been
included in national art exhibitions and in touring
exhibitions in Japan, Algeria and Hong Kong. Her name has
been entered into the Chinese Art Dictionary and the Who's
Who of the Chinese Current Arts Circles.
In
midwinter of 1992, a fashion show team from the roof of he
world appeared onstage in Beijing. It was the first time the
Lhasa fashion show participants, comprising nine young
Tibetan women, had the chance to leave Tibet and visit
Beljlng, among the eight models were included TV
anchors from the Tibet Television Station, actresses from
the Tibetan Opera Troupe and Singing and Dancing
Assembly, and members of a partial arts team. Their show had
a strong, national style.'
'There are some
people who don't understand Tibet and hick that
Tibet ys sties closed today,'' said Lhamo, 24, one of the
performers, ''If is not like that, Through our
performance, we j hope to help people get to know more about
the development in Tibet, about what Tibetan people are
thinking and to know that both the ancient and young,
traditional and modern, cc-exist in Tibet. We are seeking
for beauty, longing for development. We are looking at the
outside world from the roof of the world.''
The woman who once stood the highest in the
world is Aehentog, a Tibetan mountaineer.
On
July 7, 1957, Pehentog, along with Shes-rab, Cheme led
Tsamchoe, climbed the 7,se-meter Mount Muztagata lad broke
the previous women's mountain climbing world ecord of 7.456
meter, which had just been set by a French mountaineer. In
1974, Pehentog, who used to be a serf before the aeration,
was already 36 years old and a mother of three Children.
When she learned the news about conquering the vorld's first
peak, she resolutely signed up to participate in the Climb.
On May 27, 1974, after an 11-day struggle
between life and death. Pehentog became the first woman in
the world to climb Mount Qomolangma from the northern slope.
At the top of the mountain, she and others determined the
exact height of the Qomolangma to be 8848.13 meters above
sea level, Wing on the ice and snow on the peak. Pehentog
performed the first remote electrocardiogram at the top of
the each.
Today in Tibet there are o great
many women like Pehentog. They are working hard in
various fields, and they nave as much courage and confidence
as Pehentog.
|