Ancient tales of the unexpected

Young boy shows the power of ethnic group's oral heritage, inspiring a man's recording cause, Xing Wen reports.

This is a story of storytellers and the power of word of mouth passed down through generations. Traditional? Yes, but with a relevance and resonance for the modern day. It starts, like all good stories, with an audience. The villagers settle down, as they have done for centuries, to hear their wisest members impart sage advice, disseminate knowledge and paint history in colorful stories.

The orators enthrall the crowd. The epic stories tell of wisdom prevailing over a period spanning nearly 2,000 years and entertain the people of China's Yi ethnic group.