The Epic of King Gesar
The Epic of King Gesar originated in the tribal era of Tibet in China and has been passed down for over a thousand years. As it was transmitted, its oral performers constantly enriched its content, and it continues to be updated to this day. As a result, the Epic of King Gesar has become the world's longest epic poem, spanning 600,000 lines, and it is also the world's only living epic poem, hailed as the "The Iliad of the East."
the Epic of King Gesar is a legendary tale that recounts the birth, military campaigns, and return to heaven of King Gesar of Ling, in the eastern part of Tibet. Many years ago, the Tibetan region was divided into numerous small kingdoms, struggling and constantly at war with each other. King Gesar was born into this world and led his army to conquer demons and evil spirits, bringing peace and prosperity to the people. Later, at the age of 80, King Gesar rescued his wife and mother from hell and returned to heaven.
It combines poetry and prose, and singing and recitation, weaving together stories, myths, poems, fables, proverbs, and maxims from real life. It represents the highest achievement of ancient Tibetan culture and serves as an encyclopedia for studying the history of ancient Tibetan society. In 2009, the "Gesar Epic Tradition" was listed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
《格薩爾》
《格薩爾》始于中國西藏地區的部落時代，至今已流傳1000多年。在傳播過程中，說唱藝人不斷豐富其內容，至今還在更新。因此，《格薩爾》以長達60萬詩行成為世界上最長的史詩，同時也是世界上唯一的活態史詩，被譽為“東方荷馬史詩”。
《格薩爾》講述了西藏東部嶺國國王格薩爾的降生、征戰和返回天界的故事：很久以前，藏區分裂成無數小國，征戰不休，苦難深重。格薩爾王降臨人間，率領嶺國部隊降妖除魔，使百姓過上了安寧日子。后來在80歲時，格薩爾王救出身陷地獄的妻子和母親，回到天上。
《格薩爾》運用詩歌和散文、吟唱和道白相結合的方式，將現實生活中的故事、神話、詩歌、寓言、諺語、格言等融為一體，代表著古代藏族文化的最高成就，是研究古代藏族社會歷史的一部百科全書。2009年，“格薩爾史詩傳統”入選聯合國教科文組織人類非物質文化遺產代表作名錄。
