China gifts 200 sets of 'King Gesar' to Pakistan as token of historical bonds.

BEIJING -- China's Sichuan Publishing Group presented 200 sets of King Gesar, an epic story of the East, to Pakistan as a token of the deep-rooted historical cultural ties between the two countries at a ceremony held at Tsinghua University. Pakistan Ambassador to China, Naghmana A. Hashmi, chief guest of the eventsaid she would present the precious collection to the National Library of Pakistan. Due to geographic proximity, the culture, language, lifestyle and architecture of people living in Baltistan of northern Pakistan are similar to those of the Tibet ethnic minority in China.

King Gesar is a hero-worshiped by Tibetan, as well as the Baltistan people. It is said that Baltistan has passed down the Gesar tradition from history, and some local villagers can still sing 'King Gesar' in its full lyrics even now, China Economic Net reported. Ambassador Hashmi said, Even before it was built in early 1950s, Khunjerab Pass was a popular route for trade and exchanges of culture and religion between northern Pakistan and Xinjiang, China. The people of Baltistan used to connect with the Tibetan through the Pass. She continued, if you go to Baltistan, you could still see similar ethnic groups with Tibetan, and even (hear) similar dialect.

The Epic of King Gesar got published in more than 100 Tibetan versions in China, and the Gesar...

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