Continuity and Development of Gesar Oral Tradition in the Early 21st Century: Centered on the Investigation of Young Gesar Singers
    
Author: Yang, Enhong
Affiliation: Institute of Ethnic Literature, CASS
The Gesar epic, as an orally-transmitted narrative, is a masterpiece created by Tibetan people and handed down from generation to generation.
Gesar performers have been playing crucial role in the epic continuation, thus, to do research work on Gesar singers is a key point to better understand the tradition. .
In 1980s, the present author interviewed with more than 40 senior Gesar performers. Nowadays the majority of whom has, however, passed away one after another, and the survivals are too aged and weak to sing the songs.
Having granted from the National Funds for Social Science in 2005, the author carried out field study on Gesar singers of young generation in Tibet area.
Key issues of the present report are:
I. The general situation about young Gesar singers.
II. Continuation and creation--the characteristics of performance by young Gesar singers.
III. Situated period of time and cultural background as social milieu for the young Gesar singers. 
Generally speaking, literacy made great impact on orality all over the world, still,  the age-old living oral tradition may keep its dynamics and continue existing endlessly, since it is a part of life-world, it represents cultural value, ethnic emotion, and expressive culture at large.