Heisamuding Kuerwan
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Heisamuding Kuerwan, Male, Uyghur, from Yining, Xinjiang, is a fourth-batch national representative bearer of Qiakeqiake (Ⅰ-123). The tradition is documented in Yining, Xinjiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Qiakeqiake in Yining, Xinjiang: Chakchak circulates mainly in the Yining area of Xinjiang. The Uyghur chakchak, translated into Chinese as joke, arises from the life customs of the Uyghur people and is a form of Uyghur folk oral satirical literature, mostly told for fun at meshrep, festive weddings, gatherings of friends, chats and festivals and holidays. The Uyghur folk oral literature was already recorded in Chinese, Sanskrit and Old Turkic historical documents; research holds that the latipe, humorous story, began to appear in the Uyghur folk literary world about the tenth century. In the twelfth century there appeared among the Uyghur a folk teller of chakchak of very great influence, Nasreddin Afanti, now translated into Chinese as The Stories of Afanti, which in content is actually The Jokes of Afanti; because the translator then used the word stories, it has been used to this day. Ishame was born in Ili, Xinjiang, in 1930, and under his impetus chakchak again reached a climax.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
A performer of the Uyghur qiaqiaqia, or joke-telling, tradition. Steeped in qiaqiaqia from childhood, he formed his artistic style in the 1950s and brought it to maturity in the 1980s, developing it into a series of stories whose protagonist is Heisamuding himself and which are known as the Isam jokes. They spread across the northern and southern slopes of the Tianshan and were warmly received and loved by the ethnic peoples of Xinjiang. From November 1980 he worked at the Yining City Cultural Centre, concentrating on the transmission of qiaqiaqia. He is the author of the Isam Jokes in four volumes in the Uyghur script. The Chinese-language edition, Isam Jokes: A Living Nasreddin, runs to five volumes, entitled Wisdom, Delight, Childlike Heart, Folly and Boasting. Within the documented technical tradition of Qiakeqiake in Yining, Xinjiang: The content of the jokes touches every aspect of life, in most cases improvised by the teller according to the occasion. The performance falls mainly into two forms: first the traditional latipe, meaning humorous story, in which one teller tells the audience a short and pithy humorous story; second the verbal duel between tellers, attaining laughter through various artistic means. The content of the jokes touches every aspect of life. He had very great influence in Xinjiang, in China and even in Central Asia and the world. Thereafter outstanding jokesters appeared one after another in Uyghur history, such as Meshrep Rehmba and Mulla Sayiding. Their jokes truly reflect the psychological quality and national characteristics of the Uyghur people and inherit the traditional form of the Afanti stories, being called the living Afanti. The content of the jokes touches every aspect of life, most often improvised according to the occasion; the performance falls mainly into the traditional latipe and the verbal duel between tellers. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Latipe (Humorous Story)": One of the traditional forms of performance of chakchak. "The Verbal Duel Between Tellers": The other form of performance of chakchak, attaining laughter through various artistic means. "The Jokes of Ishame": Four Uyghur volumes and five Chinese volumes by Heisamuding Kurwan. "Joking at the Meshrep": One of the main occasions of chakchak telling.
Latipe (Humorous Story)
One of the traditional forms of performance of chakchak.
The Verbal Duel Between Tellers
The other form of performance of chakchak, attaining laughter through various artistic means.
The Jokes of Ishame
Four Uyghur volumes and five Chinese volumes by Heisamuding Kurwan.
Joking at the Meshrep
One of the main occasions of chakchak telling.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
Male, Uyghur ethnic group, born in August 1930 and died in September 2013, a native of Yining City, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. He is a representative bearer of qiaqiaqia, a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The Uyghur chakchak, translated into Chinese as joke, arises from the life customs of the Uyghur people and is a form of Uyghur folk oral satirical literature, mostly told for fun at meshrep, festive weddings, gatherings of friends, chats and festivals and holidays. The Uyghur folk oral literature was already recorded in Chinese, Sanskrit and Old Turkic historical documents; research holds that the latipe, humorous story, began to appear in the Uyghur folk literary world about the tenth century. In the twelfth century there appeared among the Uyghur a folk teller of chakchak of very great influence, Nasreddin Afanti, now translated into Chinese as The Stories of Afanti, which in content is actually The Jokes of Afanti; because the translator then used the word stories, it has been used to this day. Ishame was born in Ili, Xinjiang, in 1930, and under his impetus chakchak again reached a climax.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heisamuding Kuerwan | Yining, Xinjiang | 04-1508 | This page |
| Ahemaitijiang Yusufu | Yining, Xinjiang | 05-2023 | Same declared area |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。