Three artists give narrative performances at the Mass Art Center of Nagqu Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Apr. 9. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Culture Office of Nagqu Prefecture has registered 65 artists engaged in Gesar narration in pastoral areas of the region in 2010. At present, Nagqu with a designed database for Gesar artists, has collected and recorded a notable number of narrative tales.

The art of Gesar narration is popular among Tibetan locals, and the artists have made great contribution in preserving this traditional culture. By now, Tibet has collected 49 records of publications concerning "King Gesar", 32 books on "King Gesar" based on old versions and manuscripts, and over 5,000 hours of audio video recording of Gesar tales.

Gesar, a half-human, half-god Tibetan king of the 11th century, once subdued the devils of other tribes and sought to help ordinary people of Tibet. Since the ancient time, Tibetan people have continuously chanted to show their respect to King Gesar. In the different versions of Gesar narration, the King's tales have been supplemented  and collected into the "King Gesar", reputed as the longest epic in the world, which was added into "Human Intangible Cultural Heritage list" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2009.