Traditionally, a Tibetan opera takes several days to perform, and Palden Wangchuk, a leading performer, believes that's one of the reasons the form is in danger of dying out.

"Performers don't have the time to perform an opera for several days, nor do the viewers have the time to watch for several days," he said.

As a pioneer, aiming to update the centuries-old folk art and ensure its continuation, he has set out to modernize the form.

"The ancient operas were made in accordance with the needs of the ancient people, and the operas performed now should meet the needs of modern people", said Palden Wangchuk, who also serves as deputy head of the Tibetan Opera Troupe of the Tibet autonomous region.

"The duration of operas is getting shorter in the countryside and in the cities, and this is an inevitable part of the form's development."

For Palden Wangchuk, the length of the operas must be shortened to maintain the vigor and vitality, and new operas must be created to satisfy modern audiences.

During the traditional summer Shoton Festival, Palden Wangchuk, played the title role in King Norsang - a new adaptation of one of the eight great classic Tibetan operas.

"It takes several days to finish the whole performance, but adaptations have been reduced to less than two hours", said Phurchung, who wrote the shortened version.

"Adaptation is a difficult process. It's difficult to maintain the integrity of the story while also fulfilling audience expectations," Phurchung said. "But we think it's a worthwhile task."

Tsering Palchen, a Lhasa resident, watched a performance of the adapted version this year. "Without getting tired or feeling bored, I watched the whole of King Norsang. I had a fun time," he said.

In 2013, the Tibetan Opera Troupe began adapting and modernizing the eight great operas and vowed to finish the project within three years.

"Tibetan Opera is included in the world's intangible cultural heritage. I hope Palden Wangchuk will become a driving force to lead many future generations to pass down this age-old precious heritage," said Thubtun, a well-known Tibetan comedian. "He is a hardworking man."

Palden Wangchuk is one of a dwindling number of Tibetans who can sing garlu, court music that was performed during grand occasions in the ancient palace, but is now on the verge of extinction.

Palden Wangchuk said garlu is difficult to sing because it requires a unique vocal style, confidence and a true understanding of its original environment.

"One has to feel as if one is singing in a palace where the king, high officials, ministers and very important guests are listening, or as if at a national-level ceremony," he said.

In 2013, Palden Wangchuk became the first person in the Tibet autonomous region to win a Plum Blossom Award, one of China's top dramatic honors.

Government support

Statistics show that there are 119 opera troupes in Tibet, including one professional government-funded troupe.

"The art of Tibetan opera has been revived over the last decade with the support of the government," said Sangye Tondrub, a researcher of Tibetan opera and the editor of Tibet Art Study magazine.

He said government support has increased over the past decade, although academic research into the form still needs to be strengthened because formal academic research into the form only began after Liu Zhiqun - a famous contributor to studies of Chinese opera - wrote a section on the basics of the operas in one of his books in the 1990s.

"The book is called The Tibetan Volume of the Chinese Opera Annals, and can be considered the foundation of Tibetan opera studies," the 37-year-old researcher said.

Gonbo Tsering, a graduate student of Tibetology at Tibet University, has read about the form in his studies. "As part of traditional Tibetan culture, I have seen many articles on Tibetan operas in various magazines, and we can see that the scope of research into the form is widening," he said.

Sangye Tondrub said more research has been conducted in recent years, but the form needs to be explored in greater detail.

Performances are divided into traditional and stage versions. Traditional operas are usually performed in three parts - a prelude, the main body and the conclusion - complemented with audience participation, such as presenting ceremonial white silk scarves called khada to performers, and making donations. The stage versions mainly focus on the main text of the original opera.

Traditional versions can last from several hours to seven days, while the stage versions usually last less than 150 minutes.

Contact the writers through daqiong@chinadaily.com.cn