Preserving Tibetan masterpiece a challenge as time marches on

New technologies give Tibetans more entertainment options

Preservation of the masterpiece of ancient Tibetan culture, The Epic of King Gesar, is facing challenges on two fronts: The region's wizened storytellers are taking their treasures to the grave even as the younger generation is focused on contemporary entertainment.

"The epic is under constant onslaught from globalization and modernization," said Tsering Phuntsok, director of the Ethnic Institute of the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, who has been leading preservation efforts in the Tibet autonomous region.