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Civilization Object No. 048
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Gesar Epic Tradition

格萨尔史诗

The world's longest living oral epic — over a million verses recounting the heroic deeds of King Gesar, sung by Tibetan storytellers.

dna Heritage DNA
history Origin

11th–12th century CE, Tibet

category Domain

quyi

verified Level

UNESCO Intangible Heritage

pin_drop Region

Southwest China

pulse Status

active

person Key Masters
person

Sangzhub

national

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The Epic of King Gesar is the world's longest living oral epic, with over 100 episodes and 1 million verses passed down by Tibetan and Mongolian storytellers. It recounts the heroic deeds of King Gesar, a legendary warrior-king who battled demons and united tribes. Performers (sgrung-mkhan) chant the epic in a distinctive style, often entering a trance-like state. It remains a living tradition performed across the Tibetan Plateau.

hub Knowledge Graph

Relationship Constellation

This heritage item connects to 12 entities across the atlas — masters, places, festivals, and stories.

person Sangzhub inheritor pin_drop Tibet Autonomous Region location person Tibetan Opera (Ache Lhamo) ich person Manas Epic ich person Song Dynasty dynasty person Gesar Epic media person Tibetan Plateau region person Tibetan ethnic-group person Gesar Epic media person Manas Epic ich
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