Manas Epic: A millennia-old oral tradition thrives along the Silk Road
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.
The original musical Manas performed at Xinjiang People's Theatre in Urumqi during the inaugural Xinjiang Cultural Arts Festival in 2023.
In the valleys of Akqi County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the voice of Jusup Mamay continues to resonate. The manaschi (epic bard), who passed away in 2014 at age 96, was the last to recite all 230,000 lines of the Epic of Manas.
The epic, considered one of the greatest legendary poems, akin to Homer's works, is central to China's Kirgiz culture and has been recognized by UNESCO since 2009.
It spans over 1,000 years and tells of Manas, a warrior-hero who united Kirgiz tribes against invaders and his seven generations of descendants. Together, they fought oppressive rulers, ultimately securing their people's freedom.
Primarily passed down orally, the epic is prevalent in Xinjiang and neighboring countries like Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.
A passage from the epic describes a hero:
With black eyes gleaming bright,
Blood drips down his side,
His long beard, like a quiver of arrows,
Thick and dense like the handle of a battle-ax.
The mane on his back flows like a stallion's,
His beard like wild reeds,
A nose rising like a mountain peak,
Eyes churning like the waves of a restless lake.
With a single glance, he could devour his foes.
His mighty form, like a one-humped camel,
His spirit fierce, like stormy waters.
Lips burn with the heat of summer's sun,
Yet his gaze chills like the winter's frost.
He charges like a tiger,
Strikes like a snow leopard,
His heart as vast as the lands of Talas,
The strength of his father, Manas, lives on.
Face to face, he stands –
A fierce eagle soaring through the skies.
The China National Opera House staged Manas opera at Beijing's Tianqiao Theatre as part of the national arts season in 2017.
Today, around 60 versions of the Manas exist, recorded by various singers and poets. Its preservation relies on manaschi, whose performances blend myth, history and improvization.
In the 19th century, scholars like Chokan Valikhanov and Vasily Radlov documented the epic, preserving fragments of a tradition that was nearly lost.
These early texts have become foundational in international Manas studies, highlighting the epic's role as a living dialogue among peoples, said Adil Jumaturdi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Jusup Mamay epitomized this cultural resilience. Born in 1918 in Xinjiang, he began learning the epic at age eight from his brother, who had gathered verses from bards across China and Central Asia.
Renowned for his exceptional memory, he committed over 200,000 lines across eight volumes in just over eight years.
For decades, his performances at weddings and festivals captivated audiences, sometimes for days. His recordings, archived by Chinese researchers in the 1990s, remain among the most comprehensive versions of the epic.
In 1995, Kyrgyzstan awarded him its highest cultural honor, the Manas Gold Medal. Upon his death in 2014, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev called him "a hero of two nations."
China's preservation efforts began in the 1960s with state-backed transcription projects. Since 2006, the epic has been part of national heritage programs.
Young audiences are a focus. Schools in Xinjiang now teach excerpts, and apps digitize recordings of Mamay's recitals.
Jiangnuri Turiganbayi, a provincial-level inheritor of the epic of Manas, sings the epic in Wuqia County, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Challenges remain. Fewer than 50 professional manaschis are left in China, most over 60.
Jiangnuri Turiganbayi, a 58-year-old security guard and a provincial-level inheritor of the epic in Xinjiang's Wuqia County, can sing the Epic of Manas nonstop for a day and night. He performed for President Xi Jinping during a 2022 visit to Xinjiang.
After his mentor Mamay's passing, Turiganbayi intensified his commitment to the epic. He has trained over 30 students. His star pupil, Yumitari, began learning at age three from his mother.
"I want the world to know Manas," said the teenager.
Eight consecutive "Manas International Cultural Tourism Festivals" have been held in Xinjiang along with regular concerts and competitions.
Representative versions have been translated and published, and forums dedicated to the epic have been held.
Modern art forms, including exhibitions, paintings, and dance dramas, have broadened its audience.
After more than a decade of work, the complete Chinese translation of Manas – comprising eight parts, 18 volumes, over 230,000 lines, and more than 20 million characters – was published in 2022.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has further strengthened cultural ties between China and Central Asian countries, fostering mutual appreciation of shared cultural assets like the Manas epic.
"The epic is a cultural bridge," said the researcher Jumaturdi. "It reminds us that exchanges along the Silk Road were never just about trade – they were about shared stories."
Kirgiz youth Yumitari showcases classic excerpts from the Manas epic at major festivals and school events.
