The three picture books about the legendary Tibetan hero Gesar.
With “King Gesar: Trials and Tribulations”, a film made for children about the legendary Tibetan hero Gesar, which will be released soon, the China Welfare Institute Publishing House has released three picture books based on on the movie.
The film and books aim to promote Tibetan culture and celebrate China’s diversity.
King Gesar is reputed to be the longest epic in the world, with around a million lines. The epic, believed to date from the 12th century, describes the heroic deeds of cultural hero Gesar, the fearless lord of the legendary Ling Kingdom.
It is inherited mainly through the art of vocal singing and is said to be on par with the epic works of Homer in ancient Greece and the “epic of Gilgamesh” of ancient Sumer. In 2009, it was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The three books titled “King Gesar: the Young Hero” describe the life of the hero, including his birth, his suffering and his fight against the forces of evil, where he led the people of his tribe to live a peaceful and prosperous life. .
They are meant to encourage children to be brave and generous like Gesar and inspire them to think of solutions to life’s problems.
The colorful and vivid images in the books exhibit the characteristics of traditional Tibetan thangka artwork. Readers can enjoy the typical Tibetan landscape, including snow-capped mountains, lush steppes, endless flower clusters, tents, yaks, prayer flags, and snow lotuses.
The texts of the book include lines of vocal songs that are popular folk songs in Tibet today.
Comments are closed.