Manas is a heroic epic of the Kirgiz people, describing the heroic Manas and his seven generations of descendants, and leading the Kirgiz people to fight against foreign invaders and various evil forces. Manas embodies the Kirgiz's indomitable national character and the national spirit of unity and enterprising. Manas is mainly distributed in Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture in the south of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China and Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in the north of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. According to the literature, Manas began to spread in16th century, and it has been passed down from mouth to mouth for thousands of years. Folk singers play an important role in the creation and inheritance of epics. Manas is regarded as the national soul of Kirgiz, which embodies the spiritual strength of Kirgiz. It draws nutrition from ancient Kirgiz epic and rich Kirgiz folk literature, and contains ancient Kirgiz myths, legends, folk songs, folk narrative poems and folk proverbs. It is an encyclopedia of Kirgiz folk culture, with the value of literature, history, language, folklore and other disciplines.