Witnessing heritage: Xi's cultural encounters (4)

President Xi Jinping has always emphasized the importance of protecting and promoting intangible cultural heritage. Following in his footsteps, let's explore the outstanding Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

Today, we highlight the Gesar epic tradition. Considered one of the longest "living" epics in the world, The Epic of King Gesar has been passed down orally by singers and storytellers in the Tibetan, Mongolian, Tu, and other ethnic communities, describing how ancient hero Gesar conquered his enemies and helped ordinary people in the 11th century. The tradition was listed as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.

During his visit to Chifeng in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on July 15, 2019, President Xi watched a live performance of the epic tale of King Gesar and spoke with its inheritors. He highlighted that the Chinese nation has been formed through continuous exchanges and integration among the 56 ethnic groups, and called for greater attention to the preservation and inheritance of cultures of ethnic minority groups.