Complete collection of Tibetan epic to be published in 2019

Researchers have obtained many different editions of the epic among the Tibetan people as well as different versions published over the last 60 years.[Photo/dangdang.com]

The most complete collection of The Epic of King Gesar, generally considered the world's longest folk epic, will be published in 2019.

The Epic of King Gesar tells the story of how an 11th century Tibetan demigod king conquered his enemies and helped the ordinary people. Researchers have obtained many different editions of the epic among the Tibetan people as well as different versions published over the last 60 years.

Statue of King Gesar in Qinghai province.[Photo/VCG]

The collection will contain over 370 volumes exceeding 80 million words. Some of the versions it includes will be shown to the public for the first time.

The Chinese and English versions of the story are also underway. The epic has been passed down orally by singers, often illiterate herders or farmers from Southwestern China's Tibet autonomous region, Northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Northwestern China's Qinghai province, and serves as important literature for studying ancient Tibetan society.