Epic of King Gesar: reviving a millennia-old tale of unity

Editor's note:

The United Nations has officially designated 44 Chinese traditions as world cultural heritage. This series examines how each of them defines what it means to be Chinese.

On a summer afternoon in Bairin Right Banner of north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 61-year-old Aotegenhua strums a tovshuur (Mongolian lute), her voice rising and falling like the flowing Xar Moron River nearby.

She sings of Gesar, the mythic warrior-king who vanquished demons and united fractious tribes. Around her, children mimic her gestures, learning a story that has bound their ancestors together for more than 1,000 years.

The scene, part of a weekend intangible cultural heritage class, embodies the living legacy of the Gesar epic tradition. It is a 2009 UNESCO-listed oral tradition shared by Tibetan, Mongolian, Tu and some other ethnic groups in west and north China.

Spanning over 1 million poetic lines across 120 volumes, Gesar is the world’s longest living epic. Its earliest written copy dates back to the 14th century, but its roots extend even further.

It originated from the nomadic cultures of the Tibetan Plateau and Mongolian steppes. The epic spread beyond China, resonating in Mongolia, Russia and South Asia.

“Gesar is not just a story. It’s a mirror of our shared history,” said professor Sechin Menghe, a leading Gesar scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

“It reflects how diverse ethnic groups coexisted, traded and forged alliances. The hero’s quest to ‘subdue demons’ symbolizes overcoming natural disasters and social strife,” he added.

Local traditions tie the epic to daily life. In some communities, elders sing portions of the saga at a child’s birth or during local festivals. The recitations help mark new beginnings and celebrate communal identity.

The epic also serves as an oral encyclopedia. Its verses include lessons on ethics, astronomy, traditional medicine and tribal history. Visual arts such as the thangka paintings and Tibetan operas also draw inspiration from the saga.

For centuries, Gesar survived through “singing souls” — performers called drumkang or Gesar bards. The epic is not a fixed text. It adapts with each storyteller.

Tibetan drumkangs often use bronze mirrors and expressive gestures to enhance their recitations. Narrators in Inner Mongolia add fiddle tunes and rhythmic beats to engage their audiences.

Aotegenhua, a Gesar epic inheritor since age 5, recalls her training under late national inheritor Jinba Zhamusu.

“Back then, it was just one man, one fiddle. Now, we blend horsehead fiddles, drums and even dance,” she said.

In 2014, she co-founded a performance troupe, revolutionizing the art form. Their shows feature the Khuumii (Mongolian throat singing), clattering sheep knucklebones and synchronized chants.

“When we sing of Gesar descending from heaven, the melody is slow and sacred. But when he battles monsters, the tempo explodes,” Aotegenhua explained.

Local efforts have revitalized the epic. Bairin Right Banner, dubbed “China’s Gesar homeland,” now boasts a Gesar cultural center, sports parks themed on the epic and more than 100 annual performances.

Since 2019, its practitioners have surged from under 100 to 500, including a 90-year-old herdsman and teenagers, who joined after a school workshop.

“We’ve published Gesar comic books and will release primers soon,” said Hari Bari, director of Bairin’s Gesar protection center.

“Even children’s plays adapt his tales, like how he tamed a fire-breathing horse through courage, not force,” he observed.

UNESCO’s 2009 designation highlighted Gesar’s role in fostering inter-ethnic dialog and social cohesion.

“A continuing inspiration for thangka painting, Tibetan opera and other art forms, the Gesar epic imbues audiences both young and old with a sense of cultural identity and historical continuity,” UNESCO said in an introduction.

Professor Sechin Menghe notes its universal appeal. “Gesar’s dream, a world where tribes live harmoniously, is everyone’s dream.”