XINING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The largest collection of manuscripts of "The Epic of King Gesar" has been verified on site by the World Record Certification Agency (WRCA), according to the government of northwest China's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

According to the certificate issued by the WRCA, the collection consists of a total of 57 handwritten copies of the tale, all newly created, with a total of 6.27 million words.

Ngawang Geleg, who is in charge of the project, said 37 calligraphers in Yushu, Qinghai Province, spent three years completing the collection.

The project is aimed at protecting the ethnic culture and passing it on to younger generations, as well as introducing King Gesar to more people around the world, said Norbu Wangden, with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"The Epic of King Gesar" is generally considered the world's longest folk epic and is still passed down orally by singers and illiterate herders and farmers. The text tells the story of how an 11th century Tibetan demigod king conquered his enemies and helped ordinary people.

The epic has been passed down orally in Qinghai and other places, including China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Enditem