Qamdo is the birthplace of Kham culture. The Tibetans here are often called "Kham people" and "Kham men". Due to the factors of living area and social interaction, since ancient times, the Kangba people of Qamdo have early accepted the Yellow River culture from Qinghai, Gansu and other places, the Bashu culture and Yangtze River culture from Sichuan and Chongqing, and the Bai, Yi and Naxi people from Yunnan. The essence of multi-ethnic culture such as the ethnic minority, Lisu ethnic group, etc., and integrated it into its own culture. The bold and rugged, passionate, perseverance, bravery, loyalty and faith of Kham men are integrated with this multiculturalism, gradually forming a multi-faceted, multi-ethnic cultural complex with Kham's unique personality and dignified religious color. The Kangba culture, which has rich connotations and heritage, has special manifestations that are obviously different from other Tibetan regional cultures in terms of language, clothing, religion, folk customs, residential architecture, folk culture and other aspects.
The traditional clothing of the Khampa people in Qamdo is mainly skirts and robes. This kind of skirt and robe is mostly sewn with homemade Pulu and sheepskin, and leather robes are worn in winter. In the old days, nobles and wealthy families often wore leather robes made of tiger skin, leopard skin, and otter skin, with silk clothing underneath or silk trim as decoration. The Tibetan clothing of the Kham people is exquisite, not only luxurious and exquisite, but also of great appreciation value. Kham men often carry waist knives, protective boxes and other items, and tie the "hero spike" braided with their hair with black or red silk threads on their heads, making them appear brave and brave. Kham women's clothing is even more famous for its elegance and luxury. Their underwear is mostly made of silk, and their outerwear is made of otter skin and decorated with traditional patterns. Kham women have headdresses, chest ornaments, back ornaments, waist ornaments and other ornaments. These ornaments are often treasures passed down from generation to generation, such as necklaces and headdresses made of nine-eyed stone, agate, emerald, red coral, green Various accessories made of turquoise, honey wax stone and sterling silver. These clothes are worth hundreds of thousands to millions, becoming a symbol of their family's wealth.
The folk houses in Qamdo are divided into agricultural and pastoral areas. People generally live in tents in pastoral areas. These tents are often woven with yak yarn and decorated with traditional patterns. They are not only beautiful and elegant, but also provide protection from wind and rain, keep them warm in winter and cool in summer, and are convenient for relocation. They are deeply loved by herdsmen. Houses in agricultural areas are mostly civil structures, usually with two floors. The lower floor is for sundries, and the upper floor is for prayer halls, kitchens, bedrooms and warehouses for storing grain. Forage and grain are dried on the balcony. This kind of house also has three or four floors, so the arrangement will naturally be more detailed.
Qamdo Kham men are famous for their rough and bold character. The culture, art and folk customs here are not only simple and unique, but also colorful and full of mystery. The famous Reba arts are mostly spread among the people of Qamdo, including Reba tambourine, Reba Xianzi, Reba acrobatics, etc. Among them, Ding Qing's Reba and Mangkang's Xianzi dance are the most famous. In addition to Reba acrobatics, Zhuo dance (commonly known as Guozhuang) is very popular in Qamdo. During celebrations and festivals, people form circles, dance with their feet, wave their arms and sing loudly. This most popular dance can be seen everywhere in urban and rural areas. Song and dance. Qamdo is also the main area where the famous Tibetan epic "The Life of King Gesar" was produced and spread. There are many famous rappers and art masters. There are many schools of painting and sculpture art in Qamdo, each with its own characteristics. In the art of Thangka painting, the "Ga Xue Ga Zhi" painting school in Qamdo is the most famous; in the clay sculpture art, the most skilled ones are in Qamdo, Bianba, Chaya, and Gongjue; in the stone carving art, the painters in Qamdo, Chaya, Mangkham, and Jiangda are the most famous. It’s amazing; the woodcut sutra boards of Boluo Guze in Jiangda County are famous throughout Tibet and are truly the “hometown of woodcuts”. The artworks created by these local folk artists are not only expressions of Kham culture, but also treasures of Tibetan culture and art.
The folk literature of Qamdo has many types, rich content and distinctive local characteristics. In terms of variety, there are folk songs, stories, proverbs, riddles, etc.
Singing and singing of "The Legend of King Gesar": Rap and singing of "The Legend of King Gesar" is one of the favorite cultural activities of the farmers and herdsmen in Qamdo. In the vast land of Qamdo, there are relics and legends related to King Gesar everywhere.
Among them are mainly the square boulder dice used by King Gesar and Princess Zhumu to play chess in the Boluojirong Gorge in Jiangda County, the two large holes that King Gesar shot through the mountain in Dingqing County, and the chin of Gesar's hand in Gongjue County. The ruins of General La's palace and castle, the castle ruins of the Battle of Jiangling in Mangkang County, the iron carved dragon saddle said to be Gesar in Leiwuqi County, etc. Secondly, the Qamdo area is one of the areas with the most artists singing "The Legend of King Gesar". In 1986, police discovered 39 rappers across Tibet, 19 of whom were in Qamdo. Zaba, known as a "national treasure" rapper, has his ancestral home in Bianba, Qamdo. The Qamdo area is also one of the areas where the version of King Gesar has been circulated the most and there are many murals of "The Biography of King Gesar". There is a large-scale color mural "Gesar's Triumphal Return Banquet" in the summer villa of Shewala, the second largest living Buddha in Qiangbalin Temple; there is also a dozens-meter-long mural in Wala Temple in Jiangda County that reflects Gesar and his generals. Large mural of the war.
Ballads: Ballads are one of the popular entertainment arts in Qamdo folk literature. Whether in pastures or villages, people are always accompanied by songs. Ballads are sung in an eclectic way, and can be sung anywhere and improvised. Its contents include singing about mountains and nature, pursuing a happy love life, praising productive labor, and opposing oppression and exploitation. In art, it is characterized by vivid metaphors, rich imagination, distinctive images, and fresh and smooth language. There are extremely rich folk songs circulating in Qamdo. In 1984, the Cultural Bureau of Qamdo Region collected more than 700 folk songs from the 26-year-old folk artist Tserendaji alone, and selected more than 500 of them into a book "Folk Songs in Qamdo Region". The rich collection of Qamdo ballads can be seen from the information "Collection of Ballads".
Legends and stories: Folk legends and stories are a bouquet of flowers watered by the Tibetan people in Qamdo through collective creation and continuous processing over the long historical years. There are many folklore and stories spread in Qamdo, such as "Zemaji", "The Eagle and the Frog", etc.; "The Legend of the Origin of Reba" talks about the drum stand, drum skin and drumsticks among the props of Reba dance. and the origin of the mesh-tassel costumes, which explains the whole process of the emergence of Reba dance in a more vivid way; among the character stories, "The Legend of Princess Wencheng" is the most famous; among the witty character stories, in addition to the well-known story of Agudunba, there is also "Ran" The Story of Doasan" and so on.
Proverbs: Proverbs are a pearl in the treasure house of Tibetan folk literature, and they are also the crystallization of the Tibetan people’s long-term social practice and life struggle experience. Farmers and herdsmen in Qamdo love proverbs very much. As long as they speak, they will inevitably use vivid and concise proverbs to explain their profound philosophy of life. In Qamdo, whether a person can skillfully use proverbs has actually become one of the standards for measuring his eloquence and knowledge. The proverbs spread in Qamdo are rich in content, vivid in image, profound in simple terms, easy to understand and easy to pronounce.
Folk songs and dances: The hard-working, brave and intelligent people of Qamdo have formed a resolute, bold, simple and optimistic character over the long years. This character of the Kham people is reflected in Reba, Xianzi, The three major dance varieties of Zhuowu have been most vividly reflected. These three major dance varieties of Chamdo occupy an important position in the history of Tibetan dance.
Dingqing Reba Dance: Reba Dance is a comprehensive performing art that integrates speaking, singing, dancing and acrobatic Qigong. It originated from Qiongbu Dingqing in Qamdo, so Dingqing is known as "Reba" The reputation of "Hometown".
Among the many Reba schools in Tibet, the oldest and most prestigious one is Wotuo Reba of Qiongpudingqing. It is said that in the 13th century, when the Leiwuqi Chajima Hall was being built, seven Reba artists from Ding Qingwotuo were specially invited to perform.
Wotuo Reba is characterized by strong skills, such as pole climbing skills, abdominal rock breaking, knife-clipping rotation, etc., which are all Wotuo Reba's unique skills. Kangsha Reba is one of the important Reba schools that is still active on the stage in Qamdo. This is a typical family Reba. Its traditional programs include one-o'clock drum, three-o'clock drum, six-o'clock drum and nine-o'clock drum. There are some Xianzi, Zhuo dances and debates between men and women (equivalent to comic cross talk). In Qamdo, there are also Chayareba, Sezhareba, Basu Xie'anreba, Leiwuqi Gatuoreba, Bianba Guoqingreba, Luolongxiongnanreba, Zuogong Chawalong and other hot spots. Ba style.
Chamdo Zhuo Wu: Zhuo Wu, commonly known as Guozhuang, refers to a folk collective dance created by Tibetans in ancient times based on foot movements. It is not limited by time, place or number of people and is widely distributed in Qamdo counties. Qamdo Zhuowu is generally divided into three categories, namely Zhuowu in agricultural areas (including market towns), Zhuowu in pastoral areas, and Zhuowu in temples. Zhuowu's music is characterized by simplicity, brightness, unrestrained smoothness, and rich lyrics. In terms of movement, a Zhuo dance is composed of prelude, adagio, and allegro Zhuo dance. Allegro Zhuo dance best embodies the rough and unrestrained character of the Kham people. Sometimes it dances in a group, sometimes it spreads and spins, sometimes it moves quickly, sometimes its sleeves are waved, it is bold and uninhibited, showing the beauty of strength and a kind of community. momentum.
Mangkang Xianzi Dance: Mangkang Xianzi is called "Xie" in Tibetan, which means singing and dancing. When dancing "Xie", one or several men must lead the dance and pull the horns while dancing. Erhu Xianzi, so later generations vividly called it "Xianzi Dance". In fact, the string is just one of the musical instruments. When dancing the xianzi dance, men and women line up and dance in circles. The men pull the xianzi and the women dance with long sleeves; In addition to the Niujiao Xianzi dance popular in Mangkang, Zuogong and other places, there are also Xianzi dances in Qamdo such as Dingqing, Leiwuqi, Chaya, Basu and Zhanieqin in Mangkang Yanjing.
Painting and sculpture art: There are three major painting schools in Qamdo: "Meining" painting school, mainly spread in Dingqing, Chaya, Gongjue and other places; "Meisha" painting school, mainly distributed in Qamdo In the Caiwei area of ????the county, the "Gaxue Garzhi" painting school is mainly spread in Karma Township in Qamdo County and Dege in Sichuan.