TWO new books on the Epic of King Gesar have been published as part of efforts to preserve the 1,000-year-old Tibetan epic, according to a research center in Northwest China’s Qinghai Province. The Epic of King Gesar has about 200 episodes and is believed to be one of the world’s longest epics. It tells how a Tibetan demigod king conquered his enemies and helped ordinary people in the 11th century. The epic has been passed down orally by singers, often illiterate herders or peasants from Tibet, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, or Qinghai Province, who have often claimed they were spontaneously repeating the lines after a strange dream or serious illness. It was listed as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. (Xinhua) | 