BACKGROUND
Gesar is the vast Tibetan epic still told in Tibetan areas as well as Mongolia and parts of Central Asia. The ancient epic tells the story of King Gesar, a son of Heaven who comes to earth to conquer demon rulers and to create a just, enlightened kingdom. Endowed with marvellous powers and abilities, King Gesar is Tibet’s most enduring and popular hero. With over 1 million verses so far collected, Gesar is by far the world’s longest epic, as well as being a treasury of Tibetan cultural tradition and history. Unlike most of the great epics, Gesar is still being passed on orally and is continually evolving. It is typically told by illiterate nomadic bards, who claim to have acquired their knowledge through dreams and visions, where they encounter characters from the epic. Although scientists have studied the phenomenon, it is still not fully understood how these illiterate mountain people acquire hundreds of thousands of sophisticated poetic verses and a story that is essentially the same across Asia. Despite being one of the major literary achievements of humanity, Gesar is surprisingly unknown outside China. This may soon change, however, as UNESCO is to proclaim Gesar as an intangible world cultural heritage item. We hope that this documentary film may also help to raise worldwide awareness and appreciation of this special cultural heritage of the People’s Republic of China.

THE STORY OF A BARD
This documentary film tells the story of DAWA DRAPAS, a young Gesar bard in today’s Tibet. Instead of trying to present an information-packed overview of the vast cultural phenomenon that is Gesar, the documentary will focus on one of the bards still passing on the epic today. By keeping to a human story, this huge, incredibly rich culture is made presentable in engaging documentary film format. Dawa was born into a nomadic family in the high grasslands of East Tibet. When he was only a teenager, a white horseman appeared to Dawa in a dream, leading him on horseback to the legendary King. Through this, and a series of other visions, Dawa was appointed to spread Gesar’s message. An irresistible urge to tell Gesar’s story began to well up, but, to the teenager’s great frustration, the words would not come out. Then, at the age of 18, Dawa had a chance encounter with a wondering Gesar bard on the road to Lhasa. On meeting the old folk artist, the epic started to pour out of Dawa. He sang for hours without interruption. When he finished, the old bard had vanished, and Dawa was surrounded by an astonished crowd. Dawa gained instant fame across Tibet, and has not stopped telling Gesar’s story since.
Dawa is now 31 years old, and continues to have dreams and visions about Gesar. Having left the nomadic grasslands behind, Dawa now lives in Yushu town, the capital of his Tibetan prefecture. Here he carries out Gesar research at the local culture office. His special gift earns him a government salary – China has long recognised Gesar as exceptional folk art, and has supported Gesar culture and its bards for decades. With government recognition and support, the nomadic bard has risen to national prominence. His stories are recorded and published, and he performs the epic to enthralled audiences throughout China and its Tibetan areas. As an especially charismatic performer, Dawa is also a popular guest at high-profile international Gesar-conferences. The young bard is passionate about developing Gesar culture. When not performing, Dawa tries to record as much of the great epic as he can. Dawa is on a mission to save Gesar’s heritage for future generations, and his wish is to have enough time to record the whole vast epic before dying.