Tibetan opera is a very large drama system. Due to the differences in natural conditions, living customs, cultural traditions, and dialects in various parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it has many art varieties and schools. Tibetan opera in Tibet is the mother of Tibetan opera art. It has spread to the Tibetan-speaking areas of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan through monks who came to the U-Tsang monastery for further studies and pilgrims, forming branches such as Huangnan Tibetan opera in Qinghai, Gannan Tibetan opera in Gansu, and Seda Tibetan opera in Sichuan. Tibetan opera is also spread in Tibetan settlements in India, Bhutan, Sikkim and other countries. The Tibetan name of Tibetan opera is Lhamo, which means "fairy". It is said that Tibetan opera was first performed by seven sisters, and the content of the repertoire is mostly mythological stories in Buddhist scriptures, hence the name. Tibetan opera originated from the religious art of Tibetans in the 8th century. In the 17th century, it was separated from the religious rituals of the temple and gradually formed a life-like performance with singing as the main part, combining basic routines such as singing, chanting, dancing, expression, speech, and skills. The singing of Tibetan opera is high-pitched and vigorous. Basically, the tune is determined by the person, and each line of the singing is accompanied by human voice. Tibetan opera was originally a square drama, with only one drum and one cymbal accompaniment, and no other instruments. The performance is generally divided into three parts. The first part is "Dun", which is mainly the opening performance of sacrificial songs and dances; the second part is "Xiong", which mainly performs the legend of the main play; the third part is called "Zaxi", which means blessing and welcoming auspiciousness. It is said that there are "Thirteen Big Books" in the traditional repertoire of Tibetan opera. The ones that are often performed are "Princess Wencheng", "Nuosang Dharma King", "Langsa Wenbang", "Zhuowa Sangmu", "Sujinima", "Baima Wenba", "Dunyue Dunzhu", "Zhimei Gengdeng" and other "Eight Big Tibetan Operas". In addition, there are "Riqiongwa", "Prince Yuncheng", "Jingba Qinbao", "Deba Dengba", "Subai Wangqu", etc., and most of the plays contain Buddhist content. There is only one set of costumes for Tibetan opera from beginning to end. The actors do not wear makeup and mainly perform with masks. Tibetan opera is divided into white mask opera and blue mask opera. In the process of spreading, the blue mask opera has formed four major schools, namely, Juemulong Tibetan Opera, Jiongba Tibetan Opera, Xiangba Tibetan Opera and Jianggar Tibetan Opera, due to different regions. The annual "Shoton Festival" is the day when Tibetan opera troupes perform one after another, so the Shoton Festival is also known as the "Tibetan Opera Festival". After the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the autonomous region government established the Tibet Autonomous Region Tibetan Opera Troupe on the basis of the original Juemulong Tibetan Opera Troupe, taking on the task of inheriting and developing Tibetan opera. It has successively organized and performed some traditional operas such as "Langsa Wenbang", "Princess Wencheng" and "Prince Norsang", and also created and performed some modern themes. On the basis of maintaining the original square art characteristics of Tibetan opera, the troupe has carried out the practice of theater stage art, making Tibetan opera go from the square to the stage, with lighting, scenery and makeup, and also began to use orchestral accompaniment. After the 1980s, the Qinghai Tibetan Opera Troupe was established in Huangnan, creating and performing excellent repertoires such as "Yile Fairy", "The Envoy of the Tibetan King" and "Golden Dawn", which have had a great influence at home and abroad. The new repertoire has brought new vitality to Huangnan Tibetan Opera. For example, the accompaniment of "Yiyue Fairy" includes traditional Tibetan instruments such as six strings, and a large modern mixed band mainly composed of folk music. While forming the atmosphere music of the interlude, it can directly accompany the singing, changing the situation that Tibetan Opera in Tibet uses a drum and a cymbal only to press the rhythm of dance and performance movements, and rarely accompanies the singing. The improved scenery and stage art of Huangnan Tibetan Opera are magnificent, magical and elegant, and refreshing. Tibetan Opera has a long history and a meticulous performance program. It has an irreplaceable position in the spiritual life of the Tibetan people. Due to the strict constraints of religious rules, Tibetan Opera has been less influenced by Han culture in the process of development. From the performance content to the form, it has retained more of the original style, so it has extremely high academic value in the field of drama genesis. At the same time, the script of Tibetan Opera is also a peak of Tibetan literature. It emphasizes both rhythm and artistic conception, and uses a lot of aphorisms, folk sayings and idioms. It even intersperses fables in the plot, retaining the essence of the ancient Tibetan literary language. However, in recent years, Tibetan opera, like other operas in the mainland, has been caught in a competition with modern art and entertainment forms for audiences and performance markets in the changing times. There are problems such as lack of funds, difficulty in troupes' survival, lack of artistic talents, loss of traditional performance skills, and weak theoretical research. The development of Tibetan opera in various places is facing a crisis, and it is urgent to formulate a plan to protect this ancient ethnic minority opera.