Chinese and English versions will be published soon, according to Baoyin, an ethnic Mongolian researcher at the regional archives.

The series, titled the "Genghis Khan Eight White Tents Collection," has been reviewed by Qi Zhongyi, the last Mongolian prince still alive in China.

The title refers to the eight white tents used to place sacrifices for Genghis Khan after he died on the Erdos Plateau and became the "Almighty God" of the Mongolian nation.

The three books are "Genghis Khan's Golden Book," "Genghis Khan's Eight White Tents" and "Genghis Khan's Eight White Tents and the Erdos People."

The first book, which is said to have been approved and can only be revised by Mongolian Khans, contains sacrificial articles and rules.

The second book in the series is composed of more than 1,000 articles describing the history of the eight white tents.

The third book is a collection of history files and records gathered by Baoyin over the last dozen years, many of which have never been made public.

According to history books, Genghis Khan (1167-1227) was born into an aristocratic family near the Onon River in Mongolia. He was orphaned at an early age and brought up in very humble circumstances.

In 1206, he unified Mongol tribes and became the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Later he was conferred the title of "Genghis Khan," meaning the "universal ruler," by the supreme assembly.

Genghis Khan conquered most of Eurasia and fathered many children. Kublai, one of Genghis Khan's grandsons, later became the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

(Xinhua 04/18/2001)