Baojie

01 · Lineage & Regional School

From childhood he learned the four-string hu (sihu) from his grandfather and father, and he soon mastered the playing technique of the instrument. Within the regional tradition and school record of Mongolian Sihu Music in Duerbotemengguzuzizhi, Heilongjiang: The Mongol four-string fiddle circulates mainly in the Mongol areas of settlement of Inner Mongolia and the provinces and regions of the north-east and north China; the Dorbod four-string fiddle is concentrated in the area of the Dorbod Mongol autonomous county of Heilongjiang, while the Gorlos four-string fiddle is centred on the Qian Gorlos Mongol autonomous county. The Mongol four-string fiddle is a bowed string instrument that evolved from the xiqin used by the ancient Kumoxi people. In the Qing it was used in the court orchestra, where it was called the “tiqin”.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Mongolian ethnicity, born in March 1965 in Duerbot Mongol Autonomous County, Heilongjiang Province. By the age of fifteen he had begun to make his mark at various cultural events. He frequently visited elderly folk artists on the grasslands, continually learning and collecting the pieces that had been handed down, and steadily raising his performance standard through his own efforts. For several decades he has passed on all the skills he commands to his students without reservation, continuously expanding the ranks of bearers; his students have grown from one or two at the outset to more than forty, and he has also conducted teaching activities in primary and secondary schools. Within the documented technical tradition of Mongolian Sihu Music in Duerbotemengguzuzizhi, Heilongjiang: Mongol four-string fiddle music is current in Inner Mongolia, the north-east and the provinces and regions of north China and has had a far-reaching influence on the folk narrative-singing of both the Mongol and Han peoples. The Mongol four-string fiddle is made up of the sound box, neck, tuning pegs, skin membrane, bridge, base, nut, bow and strings, and in its making are used chiefly wood, hide and fur, horse-tail hair, gut and silk thread and rosin powder. It was formerly used mostly as the accompanying instrument for the narrative-singing of uliger and holboo by the wandering artists of the ancient grasslands and later gradually developed into a relatively complete national instrument, whose consummate performing technique has become an important part of Mongol musical culture. It is tuned in fifths and divided into three kinds—treble, alto and bass. The treble fiddle has a bright, crisp tone and is mostly used for solo, duet and ensemble; the alto and bass fiddles have rich, round tones, are good at lyrical pieces and are mainly used to accompany such narrative-singing arts of the Horqin as uliger and holboo. The playing technique of the Gorlos Mongol four-string fiddle forms a school of its own, producing such distinctive sounds as the “plucked tone” like a hoof-beat on the drum, the “buckled tone” like a lark, the “dotted tone” like a clear spring and the “swept tone” like wind and rain; its representative pieces include Ba Yin, Pudeleima and Du Jie. The four-string fiddle playing of Dorbod also has features of its own, its representative pieces including The Legend of the Dashing Horse and Red Crag. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Eight Tones": Representative pieces of the Gorlos Mongol four-string fiddle include Eight Tones, Pudeleima and Du Jie. "Pudeleima": A representative piece of the Gorlos Mongol four-string fiddle, played with the school's distinctive “plucked”, “buckled”, “dotted” and “swept” tones. "Du Jie": A representative piece of the Gorlos Mongol four-string fiddle. "The Legend of the Dashing Horse": Representative pieces of the Dorbod four-string fiddle playing include The Legend of the Dashing Horse and Red Crag.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of Mongolian Sihu Music, a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Under his leadership, the protection and transmission of Mongolian sihu music has achieved notable results, and many outstanding folk artists have emerged.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

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.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Baojie · National Representative Bearer Archive