[Photo/qhnews.com]

A movie about a Tibetan boy and the Tibetan opera of King Gesar will hit screens nationwide in early February after its Friday premiere in Xining, capital of Northwest China's Qinghai province.

The movie, titled Tibetan Opera of King Gesar, tells the story of 11-year-old Zadeh, who, fascinated by the epic of King Gesar, pursues his dream of becoming an opera singer.

"I hope audiences will be encouraged by the protagonist Zadeh and stay true to their original aspirations. I also hope the movie will demonstrate our persistence to preserve the traditional ethnic culture," said director Gyashe Donchung.

The production of the movie took three years, and all the actors and actresses were amateurs, which made the movie more real, according to the Tibetan director.

The epic of King Gesar tells how the half-human, half-god Tibetan king of the 11th Century conquered the devils of other tribes and sought to help ordinary people.

The epic has been passed down orally by singers, herders or farmers from Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Qinghai province. It was listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.