Ｓｅａｒｃｈｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ａ　ｙｏｕｎｇｅｒ　Ｇｅｎｅｒａｔｉｏｎ　ｏｆ　Ｔｉｂｅｔａｎ　Ｍｉｎｓ.docVIP

Ｓｅａｒｃｈｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ａ　ｙｏｕｎｇｅｒ　Ｇｅｎｅｒａｔｉｏｎ　ｏｆ　Ｔｉｂｅｔａｎ　Ｍｉｎｓ 　　 　　As time goes by, the development of epic performance culture naturally follows that the old blind minstrels who once specialized in singing the oral epic King Gesar (which they had memorized by their memories) are gradually dying out. Therefore, sooner or later, live performance of the oral epic King Gesar seems doomed to disappear. But does the successive loss of elite minstrels, such as the departure of Zhaba, Tsewang Jigme, Atak, Khetsa Zhaba, Wangchen Dorje, and Drolma Lhama, necessarily mean that the oral singing tradition of the King Gesar epic is going to perish where once it flourished? 　　Having heard of the discovery of new minstrels, I decided that it was of the utmost significance to investigate the folkloric minstrels. That is, while chasing after the old generation of minstrels, it was equally important to survey the nascent newcomers. Therefore, from 2006 onward, I made three field trips to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Qinghai Province to interview a total of 21 of the younger generation of Tibetan minstrels. 　　 　　Studies show that this younger generation mostly hails from remote nomadic areas. For example, in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai, the elite minstrels live at the source of three famous rivers (The Yangtse River, the Yellow River and the Langcang River). Zhiduo County in Yushu lies on the bank of Drichu River -- the head of the Yangtse River, while Tador County is situated on the bank of Zachu River -- the headwater of Langcang River. The minstrels of Gulodro in Qinghai Province often spring from Matod, Gendun, Jigzhi and Padma, which is the source of the Yellow River and is located in a remote area far from the city of Xining. Sidar Dorje is from the very isolated Palbar County of Chamdo, TAR, which is the hometown of the veteran minstrel Zhaba. Most of those minstrels in Nagqu of TAR are from remote nomadic areas, including Shantsa County, Palgon County, Dr