How the Epic "Gesar" Connects the Ancient and the Modern, China and the Rest of the World

Jiumei Dorje, director of the Qinghai Gesar Epic Protection and Research Center, said in a recent exclusive interview that the reason the epic “Gesar” can transcend ancient and modern times and connect East and West lies in the universal resonance of its themes and values. Centered on themes such as peace, justice, hope, as well as unity, loyalty, courage, and a sense of devotion to one’s homeland and country, the work has not only circulated throughout Tibetan areas, but also resonates with readers from different cultural backgrounds. The article introduces that “Gesar,” along with “The Homeric Epics” and “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” is recognized as one of the world’s most famous epics. It has long been transmitted through oral singing, with its content continuously supplemented and reinterpreted across different regions and eras, forming a distinctive feature of living heritage. Since the 1950s, Qinghai has continuously carried out surveys, collection, organization, and translation work. In 2023, it was approved to establish the Gesar Culture (Golog) Ecological Protection Zone, and related work in protection, inheritance, and exhibition has also been steadily advancing. Jiumei Dorje also mentioned that overseas academic circles began paying attention to “Gesar” relatively early, with research directions including its origins, textual versions, musical performance, religious and cultural connotations, and comparative epic studies. In the future, promoting this epic to a broader audience will still require strengthening multilingual translation and expanding its reach through film and television, drama, animation, music, and other forms, while also doing well in the compilation and popularization of general knowledge reading materials.