Researchers release database on Tibetan folk epic

XINING -- Researchers in Northwest China's Qinghai province have launched a database on folk singing of a 1,000-year-old Tibetan song cycle -- the "Epic of King Gesar."

The online collection presents 1,600 minutes of folk singer audio, 2.76 million words of text, folk singer introductions as well as research findings, according to the Qinghai Provincial Research Institute on the "Epic of King Gesar."

It also includes videos on related forums, 5,500 photos of Thangka paintings, sculptures and murals, as well as Tibetan Opera related to the epic.

People can log-in to the database through computers or mobile phones.

The epic is believed to be the one of the world's longest. It tells how an 11th century Tibetan demigod king conquered his enemies and helped the common people.

It has been passed down orally by singers, often illiterate herders or peasants from places including Tibet Autonomous Region, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region or Qinghai Province.

The epic was listed as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.

"Currently digital sorting and storing has become the most important way to preserve this epic," said Shangcham Tsering, associate researcher with the institute.

Shangcham Tsering said that they would upload more content to the database to provide help for academic research and public understanding of this epic.