The Manas Epos is hailed as the classic centerpiece of Kyrgyz literature, the encyclopaedia of Kyrgyz culture, the touchstone of the Kyrgyz spirit. It is the longest epic poem in the world with close to half a million lines. There are more than 65 written versions of parts of the Manas Epos and 33 of just the first section of the trilogy. The oral origins of the epic extend back to the mists of time when, according to the analysis of Chinese annals, the Kyrgyz nation first appeared on the steppes of Central Asia 2,200 years ago.