Tibetan opera originated from the white mask performances from a time when there were no written records.

Mural paintings in the Samye Monastery constructed in the 8th century featured dancers wearing white masks with movements identical to the ritual performance of the present shows of white mask opera.

In the 14th century, Tangdong Gyibo, an eminent monk with the Shiangba Gagyu Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, decided to build an iron chain bridge over every river in Tibet.

To raise money for his project, Tangdong Gyibo organized performances.

He designed the programmes by absorbing all the dramatic factors from folk art and religion and composed music for voices and acts in opera. He also improved the accompaniment, and created blue masks for performers to distinguish his shows from the traditional ones in which performers wore white masks.

The scripts were long stories developed from Tibetan legends and it often takes three or four days, or sometimes even a week to finish one opera.

Among his recruits for the shows, seven young women from Shannan stood out for their talents in singing and dancing.

They especially drew audiences' applause for their graceful and elegant dances and sweet voices. The audiences hailed them as angels from heaven, and thus gave the shows the name "Lhamo," meaning angels.

The shows were a huge success and Tangdong Gyibo was able to raise enough money to build the bridges.