The Tibet Autonomous Region will hold its third Tourism and Culture Expo later this week in the regional capital of Lhasa. Three re-adapted Tibetan operas will headline the expo that is expected to attract 1,500 officials, experts and representatives. Here's a preview of what they can expect!

Performers of the Tibetan Opera Company are busy rehearsing an abridged version of "Romance of  Dramyin", or romance of the Tibetan guitar.  The two-hour long Tibetan opera is adapted from an original version that is five or six-day long.

Tibetan opera is an art that combines folk song, dance, storytelling, chant, acrobatics and religious performance.

Most popular in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in western China, the performance usually begins with a prayer ceremony, including the cleansing of the stage by hunters and blessings by the elder, and concludes with another blessing.

Tibetan Opera was inscribed in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

Rooted in Buddhist teachings, the stories told in Tibetan opera recount the triumph of good and the punishment of evil and therefore has educational functions for the community. This multifaceted representative of Tibetan art and cultural heritage also acts as a bridge among Tibetans in different parts of the country, promoting ethnic unity and pride.