<正>The Shoton(Sour Milk Drinking) Festival is one of the indispensable festivals for the Tibetans.When I reached Lhasa,however,it was already“something that had happened in the past.”My friends told me,the festival featured Tibetan opera performance in the Norbu Lingka,and monks and lay people were immersed in a world of art and happy celebrations.Thev also told me Tibetan opera was called Lhamo in Tibetan,meaning fairy maid. With the assistance of Lhasa Mass Art Palace director Dawa,I recently set out to explore the secrets of Lhamo.It was actu-