Regal romance

A musical drama, based on the relationship between a Han princess and a Tibetan king, has made a village by the Lhasa River come alive. Chen Nan reports.

During her recent trip to Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, the Cijiaolin village was the first stop for Wang Li, a 31-year-old military soprano. Not far from downtown Lhasa and situated on the southern bank of the Lhasa River, the village is home to some 300 Tibetan nomadic families. Wang, from the Performing Arts Company of China's Air Force, went to Lhasa to perform the lead role in Princess Wencheng, a musical drama, during the traditional Shoton Festival, one of the region's most popular annual celebrations that usually falls in the seventh month of the Tibetan calendar. This year, it was from Aug 25 to 29.

"The village is easily ignored because tourists mostly choose the famous Potala Palace, which is located on the other side of the Lhasa River," says Wang. "But soon it will become a popular destination too."