Multiform Practices for Safeguarding the King Gesar Epic in the In the Contemporary Context

　　Norbu Wangdan (China)

　　The oral epic of King Gesar is a paradigmatic instance of humanity’s excellence in verbal arts.  The Gesar cycle, recounting the sacred deeds of the ancient hero, King Gesar, has been handed down primarily among the Tibetans . For Tibetan people, the epic King Gesar has been an important vehicle for preserving language traditional knowledge, folk customs, religious beliefs, and cultural identity. The Gesar oral tradition has been and is still a major source of inspiration for cultural and artistic creation in the Tibetan. It Inscribed  on  the Reprehensive list of Intangible  cultural heritage of humanity in2009(UNESCO) . However, On account of the switch of lifestyle from nomadism to sedentariness or semi-sedentariness, the tribal society with its culture has disappeared once and for all, and this poses a threat to context of Gesar epic preservation. Since 80’s of last Century, Turning point has been occurred in safeguarding the epic tradition. an interactive model with three dimensions of community-based innovations, academic participations, and governmental involvements has achieved practical results, Measure of the safeguarding the epic tradition within its cultural ecosystem, and to promote its further development have been taken. Currently, number of projects have been ongoing, centering on an interactive model with multiform practices,. which will definitely serve the purposes of promoting the vitality of ethnic cultures and mother tongues in Tibetan, and other ethnic minority areas in China; and will help to set forth an effective example for revitalizing oral heritages both in neighboring countries and in developing countries under similar social and cultural conditions, all while deepening people’s understanding cultural diversity, cultural liberty, and cultural creativity through multiple efforts for safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritages over the world.

　　（Norbu Wangdan，Director,Tibetan literature research office of the national literature at the Chinese academy of social sciences）