Celebrating the life of a Lama

A production by an ethnic music troupe, titled Tsangyang Gyatso, aims to shine the spotlight on a legendary spiritual leader. Chen Nan reports.

The taste for romantic poems and love songs written by Tsangyang Gyatso (1683-1706) never seems to go away. Yet few know much about the legendary sixth Dalai Lama, who lived for just 23 years. A dance drama by the China Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble, titled Tsangyang Gyatso, aims to delve into his personal life apart from his religious and political identities. It will be staged in Beijing in the last weekend of the month. Director Ding Wei says he knew almost nothing about Tsangyang Gyatso besides his artistic work until he started to prepare for the performance a year ago.

"That's true of many people, including the cast and creative team behind this show. We want to introduce this legend as a human being, who had to deal with life as we do," Ding says.