Ajilun
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Ajilun, Female, Oroqen, from Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Huashupi Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-83). The tradition is documented in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia. Within the regional tradition and school record of Huashupi Making Craftsmanship in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia: Birch bark making is a unique handicraft of the northern hunting peoples of China, with strong ethnic characteristics and regional character. It is practiced in the Oroqen Autonomous Banner, Evenki Autonomous Banner, Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner, and Ergun Left Banner (Genhe City) in Inner Mongolia, as well as in the Heilongjiang River valley. The peoples of the south mostly entered settled life through pottery, whereas the Oroqen hunters of the north have no history of pottery-making. It is precisely in this gap that birch bark took on the work that should have been done by clay bowls and pots. This line of substitution determined the form of the craft: with neither kiln firing nor wheel shaping, the bark could only be held up into vessels by four manual steps — peeling, boiling, cutting, and sewing — and two kinds of decoration, hammered pressing and cut-and-paste; its waterproof and rot-resistant properties exactly compensated for the shortcoming of having no pottery. Looking at the main categories of boats, baskets, boxes, cases, and bowls, bark vessels cover every scenario of hunting peoples, from water transport to daily storage. Once patterns symbolizing auspiciousness, festivity, peace, and harvest are pressed and carved onto them, the vessels serve at once as tools and as prayers. As the hunting way of life has changed, the raw materials remain but the makers have grown fewer; this branch in the Oroqen Autonomous Banner depends even more on scattered craftsmen to hold the entire chain of process steps together.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Ajilun is anchored in the documented technical standards of Huashupi Making Craftsmanship in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia. Within the documented technical tradition of Huashupi Making Craftsmanship in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia: Ancient northern hunting and nomadic peoples such as the Donghu, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Khitan, and Jurchen all had eras of pottery-making, whereas peoples such as the Oroqen, Evenki, Daur, and Mongols have no history of pottery-making. Birch bark vessels created by peoples such as the Oroqen, Evenki, and Daur replaced pottery and porcelain in production and daily life, embodying the cultural characteristics of forest hunting peoples. Birch bark has good waterproofing and corrosion-resistant properties; vessels made from it are light, easy to carry, and not easily broken, making them production tools and daily necessities beloved by hunting peoples. They come in diverse forms and shapes, mainly including boats, baskets, boxes, cases, and bowls. These vessels are all sewn together from birch bark with animal sinew and horsehair rope, with various flowers and patterns carved and pressed onto them. They are not only important utensils but also exquisite works of art. The traditional birch bark processing craft has four steps: first, peeling the bark; second, soaking or boiling the bark to soften it; third, cutting and sewing; fourth, decorating with patterns. The decorative techniques include hammered pressing and cut-and-paste; all ethnic peoples decorate their birch bark products with patterns symbolizing auspiciousness, festivity, peace, and harvest. With the development of society, the production and way of life of hunting peoples have changed enormously, hunting culture has gradually declined, and birch bark making craftsmanship has also gradually fallen into decline. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Stripping the bark": Stripping is the first step: a ring is cut above and below with a vertical cut between, and the sheet is lifted off in one piece. "Soaking and boiling the bark": The rough inner face is removed and the bark boiled or steamed so that it softens enough to cut. "Cutting and stitching": Cut pieces are stitched with sinew or horsehair and the seams reinforced; the tightness of the stitching decides whether the vessel leaks. "Sinew and horsehair seams": Sinew from roe deer or elk, or horsehair twisted with hemp, is elastic enough that the seam stretches with moisture instead of splitting.
Stripping the bark
Stripping is the first step: a ring is cut above and below with a vertical cut between, and the sheet is lifted off in one piece.
Soaking and boiling the bark
The rough inner face is removed and the bark boiled or steamed so that it softens enough to cut.
Cutting and stitching
Cut pieces are stitched with sinew or horsehair and the seams reinforced; the tightness of the stitching decides whether the vessel leaks.
Sinew and horsehair seams
Sinew from roe deer or elk, or horsehair twisted with hemp, is elastic enough that the seam stretches with moisture instead of splitting.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Ajilun was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Huashupi Making Craftsmanship, with Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Huashupi Making Craftsmanship in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia as its declared area, and Elunchun Autonomous Banner Cultural Center (Elunchun Autonomous Banner 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
The peoples of the south mostly entered settled life through pottery, whereas the Oroqen hunters of the north have no history of pottery-making. It is precisely in this gap that birch bark took on the work that should have been done by clay bowls and pots. This line of substitution determined the form of the craft: with neither kiln firing nor wheel shaping, the bark could only be held up into vessels by four manual steps — peeling, boiling, cutting, and sewing — and two kinds of decoration, hammered pressing and cut-and-paste; its waterproof and rot-resistant properties exactly compensated for the shortcoming of having no pottery.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuzhanxiang | Heilongjiang | 01-0195 | Other regional school |
| Guobaolin | Daxinganlingdi, Heilongjiang | 04-1865 | Other regional school |
| Wuxusheng | Genhe, Inner Mongolia | 05-2778 | Other regional school |
| Ajilun | Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia | — | 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。