The Fruit and Wisdom of Folk Artists

　　The popularity and immortality of The Life of King Gesar should be credited to the direct creators, inheritors, popularists and outstanding folk artists responsible for the work. They are real artists and outstanding poets of the masses. During the long days of their lives, generations of folk artists have been busy creating China's great epic through their painstaking efforts. Their works embody the great intelligence and spirit of initiation of the masses. With marvelous wisdom and artistic talent, they have made meritorious contributions to inheriting and developing Tibetan cultural undertakings, which should be remembered and respected by people of the present age and our descendants.

　　During the process of large-scale preservation, almost 100 folk artists are discovered to be active in rural and pastoral areas. Of these, more than 10 are popular among the people. Before presenting performances, they usually hold various forms of ceremonies, such as burning incense and worshiping gods or singing in front of a mirror. They always wear hats with all kinds of bird's feathers as a costume and carry musical instruments made of ox horn or ring tambourines. In August 1984, during the Shoton (Sour Milk Drinking) Festival, Lhasa hosted Gesar artists from seven provinces and municipalities, with 40-odd performers participating in the performances, including noted bard Zhagba and the female bard Yumei.

　　The Tibetan folk bard Zhagba has devoted his entire life to the preservation and performance of The Life of King Gesar. Several hours before he passed away in November 1986, he still assiduously presented songs from The Life of King Gesar. With his passing, the masses inherited a precious piece of cultural heritage. He performed 25 versions of The Life of King Gesar, with a total of 600,000 verses, or 6 million words, in his life time. The figure is equal to 25 Homeric Epics or 15 Ramayanas or three Mahabharatas. It is by far the longest and the most complete set of versions in the world. These versions embody the wisdom and artistic talent of Zhagba and represent an important fruit of the preservation work in the new age.

　　Unlike other folk artists, the bards don't pass down their legacy from master to apprentice, or from father to son. They believe the skill of performances depends on the inspiration of the gods, not by inheritance or study. They believe the emergence of generations of artists has to do with the reincarnation of a figure related to King Gesar. This is in line with the basic tenets of Buddhist reincarnation and the Lamaist Living Buddhas of the traditional Tibetan culture.