Kulanzaiyitinaer
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Kulanzaiyitinaer, Female, Kazakh, from Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Guniangzhui (Ⅵ-103). The tradition is documented in Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Guniangzhui in Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang: Kyz Kuu is mainly distributed in Qinghe County, Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and in the Kazakh-inhabited cities, counties, and townships nearby; the Qinghe County Cultural Center is the designated protection unit. The practice took shape long ago, and records of it already appear in 15th-century texts. When Kyz Kuu is held, young men and women are paired in alternating order and divided into two teams, talking and joking with one another on the way from the crowd to the starting point. After reaching the designated starting point, the young man must immediately turn his horse around and ride back, while the young woman chases hard behind him; if she fails to catch up, the young man's side is deemed the winner. If the two got along particularly well on the way out and felt an immediate affinity, then once the young woman catches up she does not use her whip; instead, she circles it lightly over the young man's head or flicks his hat off. This chase on horseback has thus become a special way for young Kazakh men and women to express their affection. Kyz Kuu (Girl Chasing) took shape long ago; records of it already appear in 15th-century texts. It is mainly distributed in Qinghe County of the Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and in the Kazakh-inhabited cities, counties, and townships nearby.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Kulanzaiyitinaer is anchored in the documented technical standards of Guniangzhui in Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Guniangzhui in Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang: Kyz Kuu is a beloved traditional equestrian pastime of the Kazakh people, held at festivals, wedding ceremonies, and aken aytis gatherings. Shaped by nomadic life and grassland culture, the Kazakh people have developed strong physiques and superb horsemanship from childhood. Equestrian sport is not only the most important part of Kazakh recreational life but also a collective art form with a broad popular base. When Kyz Kuu is held, young men and women are paired in alternating order and divided into two teams. On the way from the crowd to the starting point, the young women and men taking part in Kyz Kuu talk and joke with one another. After reaching the designated starting point, the young man must immediately turn his horse around and ride back, while the young woman chases hard behind him. If the young woman fails to catch up, the young man's side wins. If the young woman and young man got along particularly well on the way out — feeling like old friends at first meeting and drawn to each other — then on the chase back, once the young woman catches up, she does not whip him; instead, she circles her whip lightly over his head or flicks his hat off. It is a special way for young Kazakh men and women to take part together and express their affection, a collective traditional cultural activity of the Kazakh people with wide influence among the public, and it plays an important role in enriching the cultural life of the masses and promoting ethnic unity, social harmony, and progress. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The talk there and the chase back": The two-part structure: a leisurely ride out in pairs followed by a hard chase back, the outcome tied to how the conversation went. "The whip and the gentle tap": The signal of mutual liking: instead of the whip, a light circling tap over the young man's head or the flicking off of his hat. "Aqin contests and festive occasions": The game is staged at festivals, weddings and aqin song contests, inseparable from grassland gatherings. "Qinghe county and horseback upbringing": Raised in pastoral life, Kazakh herders acquire superb riding from childhood, making mounted games both entertainment and communal art.
The talk there and the chase back
The two-part structure: a leisurely ride out in pairs followed by a hard chase back, the outcome tied to how the conversation went.
The whip and the gentle tap
The signal of mutual liking: instead of the whip, a light circling tap over the young man's head or the flicking off of his hat.
Aqin contests and festive occasions
The game is staged at festivals, weddings and aqin song contests, inseparable from grassland gatherings.
Qinghe county and horseback upbringing
Raised in pastoral life, Kazakh herders acquire superb riding from childhood, making mounted games both entertainment and communal art.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Kulanzaiyitinaer was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Guniangzhui, with Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Guniangzhui in Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang as its declared area, and Qinghe County Cultural Center (Qinghe County Art Museum) 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
Kyz Kuu (Girl Chasing) took shape long ago; records of it already appear in 15th-century texts. It is mainly distributed in Qinghe County of the Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and in the Kazakh-inhabited cities, counties, and townships nearby.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kulanzaiyitinaer | Aleitaidiquqinghe, Xinjiang | — | This page |
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。