Post-Millennial university students produce first talk show in the Tibetan language

A group of university students from southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region performed a talk show in the spoken language of Tibetan at a local restaurant in Lhasa during the evening of Jan. 22.

Nyazin Drakpa performs during a talk show. (Photo/Gongkar Lesong)

The talk show began at 7 p.m., focusing on personal topics related to the studies, school life, and love stories of the performers, as well as interesting things they heard about that had happened in Tibet. The show was supposed to end at 8:30 p.m., but in fact it didn’t end until one hour later after it was scheduled to come to a close.

A young woman named Penpa Yangjen explained that the talk show program had gained rapid popularity after its debut show in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, last summer.

“Previously, there was no talk show in Tibet, while there are many young Tibetans who need such a platform to express themselves,” said Penpa Yangjen, who is a freshman from Jinan University in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province.

Performers perform during a talk show. (Photo/Gongkar Lesong)

Another spectator said the talk show marks an innovative approach taken by the performers to promote the Tibetan language.

This is the first Tibetan talk show team with members all born after 2000. Nyazin Drakpa, who initiated the talk show, is a student at the Communication University of China based in Beijing.

In order to reduce risks associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the show only included 120 tickets, each priced at 69 yuan (about $10.9), said Nyazin Drakpa, adding that the tickets sold out within a few hours on the first day of their release, indicating young Tibetans’ strong eagerness to try new things.

Nyazin Drakpa said he decided to produce his own talk show when he was watching a talk show in Beijing for the first time as a freshman. Since then, he began paying attention to stage decorations and lighting, among other skills necessary for producing a talk show.

A performer performs during a talk show. (Photo/Gongkar Lesong)

Nyazin Drakpa’s father, Dorje Drakpa, is a member of the China Quyi Artists Association and vice chairman of the Quyi Artists Association in the Tibet Autonomous Region. “Quyi” means “folk arts.”

“My father was very supportive when I told him about my ambitions for opening a talk show in the Tibetan language, having often joined us in producing the shows by putting forward suggestions,”Nyazin Drakpa said.

Tibet is a place filled with humor and optimism, said the young man. “Tibetan talk shows have much potential,” he added.

A performer performs during a talk show. (Photo/Gongkar Lesong)