Gesar Culture and Art Center

Gesar Culture and Art Center

The Gesar Culture and Art Center is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Sertar County has abundant Gesar cultural resources and a profound heritage. It is the birthplace of Gesar Tibetan opera and is known as the "Hometown of Gesar Culture and Art." The area is dotted with Gesar cultural relics, the legends of King Gesar are passed down through generations, and the diverse cultural art forms including Gesar storytelling, Tibetan opera, thangka paintings, rock carvings, songs and dances, literary works, and research achievements are renowned both in China and abroad.

With a total investment of over 70 million yuan, the Sertar County Gesar Culture and Art Center broke ground on July 10, 2012, and was completed on July 30, 2015. Covering a total construction area of 17,818 square meters, it integrates a cultural center, library, intangible cultural heritage museum, Gesar Museum, performance center, and a public fitness plaza.

In front of the main building of the center, there are statues of the 13 famous generals of King Gesar. The main building has six floors: the top floor is golden yellow, the sixth floor is green, and the fifth floor is red, symbolizing the Golden Palace, Turquoise Palace, and Coral Palace of King Gesar’s palace respectively. The four corner fortresses represent the architectural and cultural characteristics of the regions where the four great generals who protected King Gesar from enemies in the north, Hor, Jiang, and Meng were based, as well as the heroic journey of King Gesar in his battles. They symbolize the dawn of peace that illuminated the plateau after King Gesar eliminated harm for the people, expressing a wish for world peace.

The literature hall of the Gesar Culture and Art Center houses nearly a thousand volumes of historical documents, religious classics such as the Kangyur and Tengyur, handwritten copies of the Gesar epic, and related materials.

The intangible cultural heritage hall displays nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage protection projects declared by Sertar County. These include Gesar painted stone carvings, yak wool weaving techniques, Sertar Gesar Tibetan opera, Sichuan Tibetan mountain songs, as well as video and physical materials of various precious editions of Gesar thangkas.

The folk customs hall systematically showcases the nomadic and farming cultures of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau through seven types of scenes depicting the lives of farmers and herders, along with cultural relics. It will also feature the "Thousand Thangkas of King Gesar," a project completed over ten years, which vividly illustrates over 70 volumes of the "King Gesar Epic" in 1,288 thangka paintings using traditional Tibetan artistic styles. The Gesar Culture and Art Center will also present the vast and stirring highland charm and the magnificent performances of Gesar Tibetan opera, offering the world a vivid and colorful feast of ethnic culture.

The completed center has become an effective platform for Sertar County to inherit, protect, and promote outstanding ethnic culture. It serves as a landmark structure that enriches the cultural life of residents, improves urban functionality, and enhances the city’s image. It is another prominent cultural calling card for Sertar County.