(b Dêgê county, Kham, eastern Tibet, 1963). Tibetan rock singer. His father was a businessman who died when Yadong was 12 years old. Yadong grew up close to his mother, who was known for her beautiful voice. He worked as a physical education instructor in the army for several years, after which he became unemployed and started teaching himself how to play the guitar. He found work as a truck driver and sang occasionally at weddings and festivals. He was asked to join an official performing arts troupe, but he declined this offer and instead found a job with a construction company in Chengdu, where he saved enough money to produce his first cassette; 'khyam-pa-kyi sems (‘A vagabond's soul’) was released in 1991. He performed in bars at night, and in 1995 he produced a new album with a Chinese title, xiang wang shen ying (‘Desire for the eagle god’), which comprises traditional songs mostly from Kham, such as the King Gesar epic, remixed in rock and rap style. In 1996 Yadong's third album, kham-pa'i bu-gsar (‘The young khampa man’), was released; it features Tibetan music and Chinese lyrics. By the mid-1990s he had gained widespread popularity in Tibet, especially among young people.
LAETITIA LUZI