Manas is an oral epic poem and cultural symbol of the Kirgiz people in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
An institute for studying and preserving Manas has been established in the region's Akqi County.
The long epic, which was first composed in the 9th century and enriched by later generations of Kirgiz singers, narrates the stories of Kirgiz national hero Manas and his descendants.
In 2009, the epic was included in the world's intangible cultural heritage list.
