Grandma's tales inspire Tibetan writer's new book

XINING — As Khandro Tsering watched his third-grade students' eyes light up while listening to him read aloud Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in vivid Tibetan, he was taken back to those happiest childhood memories of evenings spent immersed in folktales and legends gently told by his grandmother.

That moment inspired the young man from Qinghai province in Northwest China to write a fairytale book for children: a way to nurture imagination and learning while celebrating Tibetan culture and honoring the memory of his beloved grandmother.

Raised in a family in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Huangnan in Qinghai, the 32-year-old writer grew up without electronic devices, comic books or animation. Instead, he was surrounded by six gifted storytellers: his grandmother and her five sisters.

Stories of mountain deities and fearless young heroes filled his childhood. Beyond the magic of folklore passed down through generations, the tales also helped him make sense of the world around him.

"Through my grandmother's stories, I learned kindness, courage and a deep respect for life," says Khandro Tsering, who now teaches at a middle school in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Golog, Qinghai.

In his book, The Story of Kunga Dondrup and Lotus Conch, protagonist Kunga Dondrup is granted three wishes by the Lotus Conch. He first wishes for peace in the world, then for his mother to be saved, while leaving the third wish unspoken.

"I want young readers to understand that true happiness is not gained through greed, but by staying true to one's original purpose and embracing a greater love for the world," the writer says.

Continuing the storytelling traditions he inherited, Khandro Tsering weaves the landscapes of his homeland, everyday experiences and simple wisdom into his narratives. Loyal Tibetan mastiffs, sacred mountains and lakes, and even the rhythms of Tibetan poetry are carefully preserved in his work.

The book was written over six years in Tibetan before being translated into Chinese by the author himself. Striving to retain the language's original cadence and the deeper meanings of Tibetan proverbs, he says the process was challenging but worthwhile, allowing the story's warmth to reach readers in both languages.

From devoted listener to folklore collector and fairytale creator, Khandro Tsering's journey mirrors that of many young ethnic group writers in Qinghai.

Like countless children growing up in the province's Tibetan regions, he spent his early years reading local Tibetan literary journals and newspapers, learning the craft of writing, and participating in literary competitions organized by those publications.

One of the influential journals is "Sbrang char", meaning "dew" in Tibetan. Since its establishment in 1981, it has held a writing contest every three years and introduced special awards for emerging talents. To date, it has helped cultivate more than 60 prizewinning authors.

The development of ethnic literature is supported by State funding, says Palden, chief editor of Sbrang char. Every year, the Ministry of Finance provides special subsidies to publishing houses for compiling and publishing books in ethnic languages.

Today, Khandro Tsering's efforts extend beyond the written page. Last year, he traveled to more than 10 villages in his hometown, collecting folktales from local elders and transforming them into animated videos with Chinese and local Tibetan subtitles using AI tools.

"Many villagers could only remember fragments of these stories," he says. "I reimagined the missing parts in a fairytale style so that these nearly forgotten tales can once again become part of children's lives."

XINHUA