Tibetan Showbiz Champion and Her Teacher

The curtain dropped on the year-long 2009 Starlight Broadway annual final at 8:30 pm on January 30， 2010 and the Tibetan girl Wangmo won the national championship after the five-round final. She was Wangmo， a Tibetan girl from Linzhi， a picturesque area in the southern Tibet. It was largely thanks to her teacher Rongzhong Erjia， a Tibetan songwriter and showbiz entrepreneur that Wangmo was able to win the national championship at the fiercely competitive Starlight Broadway， a high-profile showbiz program at CCTV， China’s largest television network.

Wangmo grew up in Linzhi and her parents are ordinary employees at Linzhi Wool Textile Factory. Though Linzhi is known for producing pretty Tibetan girls since ancient time， Wangmo has a beauty that combines the traditional grace and modern charm.

Wangmo was a good dancer since her childhood. She entered the Arts Department of Tibetan University. Upon her graduation in 2003， she was assigned to Linzhi Arts Troupe. Her parents were proud of their daughter for getting this decent job at such a reputed troupe. But Wangmo longed to leave Linzhi for a big world beyond Tibet. She went to Chengdu， the capital of neighboring Sichuan Province and tried to get herself employed into a troupe there. She tried for a month and came back to Linzhi empty handed. Her parents thought their daughter now would stay in Linzhi， but they figured her wrong.

Wangmo soon learned from a Linzhi-based composer that Rongzhong Erjia was recruiting new entertainers for his performance center based in Jiuzhaigou， a national scenic zone in Sichuan Province. The prominent Tibetan singer used to be a middle school teacher and started writing songs in 1991. Many of his songs are popular. Wangmo regarded the prolific singer as her idol. After learning the news， Wangmo wrote a letter to Rongzhong Erjia， recommending herself. But she did not receive a reply and found that the recruitment had been over. She was hugely disappointed， but to her big surprise， Rongzhong Erjia called and said he would come to Lhasa for an interview. Accompanied by her father， Wangmo came to the interview. She sang two songs and danced two pieces. Rongzhong Erjia decided to employ her， promising to her father that he would treat her as his daughter.

Within a month， Wangmo joined the new “Plateau Reds”， a pop group organized and directed by Rongzhong Erjia. The original group of Tibetan singers and dancers made their national reputation in 2001 and disbanded later. Wangmo became a member of the new Plateau Reds.

In the summer， 2007， Rongzhong Erjia decided to put on a show called “The Mystery of Tibet”. He transferred Wangmo from the “Plateau Reds” to the new group for the upcoming show. Wangmo mistook the transfer as Rongzhong Erjia’s measure to prevent her from leaving like other girls. Rongzhong Erjia explained that the Plateau Reds represented youthful elements and that he wanted her to be more than an entertainment idol. She should grow up into an all-round Tibetan artist. She was to understand her teacher’s intention soon.

Wangmo found that joining the new group was a great blessing. She turned out to be able to learn dancing from Yang Liping， one of the country’s most high-profile ethnic dancers.

The show debuted on the evening of August 16， 2007. It showcased the mysterious life of Tibet through dancing， singing and music. Rongzhong Erjia sang two theme songs in the show. The premiere was a sensational success. The big names of the country’s entertainment business came to see the show.

In October， 2007， the troupe came to Wuhan， the capital city of central China’s Hubei Province. The tickets were all sold out， but Yang Liping went down with a severe cold. Wangmo offered to cover for Yang. Wangmo danced， no one in the audience realized that they were watching a substitute dancing. When Wangmo came backstage， Yang Liping and Rongzhong Erjia were so happy that they hugged her and wept. After Yang Liping left the troupe， Wangmo became the ballerina of the show.

On January 25， 2009， Wangmo was at home watching CCTV’s gala show of the Spring Festival Eve with her parents. When she noticed Ma Guangfu， the runner-up of the 2008 Starlight Broadway final， appeared in the gala show， she decided to compete in the event in 2009 and wished to use that as a springboard for the future gala show of the CCTV.

Rongzhong Erjia supported her wish. She sighed up for the competition. In April， 2009， she received a detailed notice from CCTV. Rongzhong Erjia helped her select songs. Wangmo won the weekly competition with her hands down and progressed to the monthly competition. Rongzhong Erjia helped her plan her next big show. She won the monthly competition again and entered the annual competition. It was at this time that a rumor suddenly appeared on the internet saying that she had lip-synched in her performances. Wangmo was frustrated and offered to withdraw from the competition to prove she was innocent. Rongzhong Erjia said the rumor was probably deliberately created to get her down. He watched the video again with Wangmo and analyzed why some people would think she was lip-synching: it was a technical mismatch produced by CCTV. The host Bi Fujian’s voice and the lip movement didn’t synchronize in the video. Wangmo became confident again.

The final on January 30， 2010 was a tough challenge. The other two finalists were very strong. But Wangmo sang and danced perfectly， convincing the jurors and audience that she was the best. They were convinced. She won.

In her championship speech at the award ceremony， she thanked Yang Liping for giving her opportunity and teaching her and thanked Rongzhong Erjia for helping her all these years. Now， Wangmo is back at the performance center operated by Rongzhong Erjia， knowing that she has a future here and she will grown to be a better Tibetan artist if she puts her roots down here. □