Saileihankakemuhazi
01 · Lineage & Regional School
From childhood she learned the craft from her mother, Maidi Hoshantai, and inherited the technique of weaving qiongmuqi, a traditional Kazakh straw container, from jiji grass. Within the regional tradition and school record of Straw Weaving in Tuoli, Xinjiang: Jiji grass weaving is centered on Tuoli County in the Tacheng region of Xinjiang and is a handicraft passed down from generation to generation by Kazakh women across the region, often carried out intensively during the sheep-shearing season. The women first bundle the jiji grass into sheaves and dry them in the sun; they wash, dye, and spin the selected top-quality wool into colored yarn, then wind the yarn around the jiji grass according to the requirements of the pattern, weaving "qionmuqi" as wind barriers for the yurts, and also weaving grass baskets, containers, and other daily-use items. Jiji grass weaving is called "qitohu" in the Kazakh language, and its products have long been part of the building of Kazakh yurts and of daily life. In the Western Han period, the ancestors of the Kazakh people already used jiji grass products to decorate their yurts; at the Kongque River site at Ruoqiang, which predates the common era, a woven grass basket with a straight mouth, bulging belly, ring-shaped base, and neck woven with wavy and string-line patterns was also unearthed, showing that this craft has circulated in the Xinjiang region for a very long time.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
Female, of the Kazakh ethnic group, born in August 1957 in Toli County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. A national representative bearer of straw weaving (Kazakh jiji-grass weaving), a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Her weaving skills are comprehensive, her works are finely made, her achievements are outstanding and her capacity to transmit the craft is strong, and she enjoys considerable local renown. Each year, when the sheep-shearing season comes, she leads her children and the women of neighbouring households in selecting the finest wool, washing it clean, dyeing it and twisting it into thread, completing the preparations for weaving. At the same time she leads the women in drawing jiji-grass weaving patterns that accord with contemporary aesthetic taste. She has also taken the initiative to contact local primary and secondary schools and teaches Kazakh jiji-grass weaving to the pupils in their spare time. Within the documented technical tradition of Straw Weaving in Tuoli, Xinjiang: The jiji grass weaving technique is called "qitohu" in the Kazakh language. The handmade jiji grass weaving technique circulating within Tuoli County in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is a handicraft passed down from generation to generation by Kazakh women across the region. The jiji grass weaving technique has a long history. Among the artifacts unearthed at the Kongque River site at Ruoqiang from the 18th century BCE, woven grass baskets made of jiji grass were found, with a straight mouth, bulging belly, ring-shaped base, and neck woven with wavy and string-line patterns. According to Kazakh historical documents and records, the ancestors of the Kazakh people in the Western Han period already used jiji grass woven products to decorate their yurts. Today, handmade jiji grass woven products are widely used in the social life of the Kazakh people and remain an important component of Kazakh yurts. The main stem of jiji grass is straight and smooth; Kazakh women weave it into wall panels resembling straw mats, called "qionmuqi" in the Kazakh language. The "qionmuqi" is spread along the round wall of the yurt, both shielding the yurt from wind and preventing animals from entering, while also strengthening the resilience of the yurt's walls. Jiji grass woven "qionmuqi" can also be used to decorate rooms. Daily-use items such as grass baskets and containers woven from jiji grass bring convenience to people's lives. In making Kazakh handmade jiji grass weaving, the jiji grass is first bundled into sheaves and dried in the sun; the sheared wool is dyed various colors and spun into the colored yarn needed; the colored yarn is then wound around the jiji grass according to the requirements of the pattern; after weaving, the two ends are trimmed level with tools such as an axe. The patterns are rich and colorful, handsome and dignified, reflecting the life attitudes and aesthetic values of the Kazakh people. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Qiongmuqi": Qiongmuqi is a mat-like screen of awn-grass stems spread around the yurt wall to block wind, keep animals out and stiffen the frame. "Drying grass, spinning yarn and wrapping": The grass is bundled and sun-dried, wool is dyed and spun, then wrapped around the stems to the pattern and the ends trimmed with an axe. "Sailiekhan and pattern design": The inheritor Sailiekhan, born in 1957, leads local women in preparing wool and designing new awn-grass patterns, and teaches in schools.
Qiongmuqi
Qiongmuqi is a mat-like screen of awn-grass stems spread around the yurt wall to block wind, keep animals out and stiffen the frame.
Drying grass, spinning yarn and wrapping
The grass is bundled and sun-dried, wool is dyed and spun, then wrapped around the stems to the pattern and the ends trimmed with an axe.
Sailiekhan and pattern design
The inheritor Sailiekhan, born in 1957, leads local women in preparing wool and designing new awn-grass patterns, and teaches in schools.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2018, Saileihankakemuhazi was announced in the fifth batch of national representative bearers for Straw Weaving, with Tuoli, Xinjiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Straw Weaving in Tuoli, Xinjiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Tuoli, Xinjiang as its declared area, and Tuoli County Cultural Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Jiji grass weaving is called "qitohu" in the Kazakh language, and its products have long been part of the building of Kazakh yurts and of daily life. In the Western Han period, the ancestors of the Kazakh people already used jiji grass products to decorate their yurts; at the Kongque River site at Ruoqiang, which predates the common era, a woven grass basket with a straight mouth, bulging belly, ring-shaped base, and neck woven with wavy and string-line patterns was also unearthed, showing that this craft has circulated in the Xinjiang region for a very long time.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yu Fangze | Hukou, Jiangxi | 03-1271 | Other regional school |
| Wang Qunying | Daming, Hebei | 05-2652 | Other regional school |
| Chen Huanbin | Muchuan, Sichuan | 05-2653 | Other regional school |
| Saileihankakemuhazi | Tuoli, Xinjiang | 05-2654 | This page |
| Yang Yuxing | Laizhou, Shandong | — | Other regional school |
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。