A Comparison of the Current Status of Tibetan Opera Research in Chinese and English Contexts

Tibetan opera is a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation with a splendid and long history, attracting the attention of researchers in China and foreign countries. At present, both Chinese and English studies on Tibetan opera in China and foreign countries have achieved certain results. It is found through sorting out that: In terms of status research, the output and power of Chinese research on Tibetan opera is far better than that of English research; in terms of research content, the Chinese and English studies of Tibetan opera pay attention to the origin, traditional theatrical pieces, mask art, performance style and program, protection and inheritance, and translation and dissemination. However, there are also research fields that are not covered by each other. At the same time, both Chinese and English studies of Tibetan opera incorporate multidisciplinary theories such as ethnology, anthropology, art, and culturology. Nevertheless, Chinese studies tend to focus on textual studies, while English studies pay more attention to field investigations and field visits. The Chinese and English studies of Tibetan opera are complementary and symbiotic, which is conducive to the comprehensive knowing and understanding of the trend of Tibetan opera research in the academic community, and is also conducive to the prosperity and development of Tibetan opera research in China and foreign countries.