Wuligeer
01 · Historical Records
Uliger is a form of quyi storytelling of the Mongolian people. It took shape around the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and has circulated widely in every part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and in the Mongolian-settled areas of the neighbouring provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning. The subjects of Uliger programmes are drawn from an extremely wide range of sources: some come from folk tales, such as The Girl of the Sun; some are the work of literati or of professional performers, such as The Romance of the Green History; some come from folk narrative poems and narrative songs, such as Gada Meilin and Danabala; some are founded on events that actually happened in real life, such as The Red Sun, The Harm of Tobacco and Wine and The Neatly Ordered Forest; and others are transplanted and adapted from comparable Han forms or from literary stories, such as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Investiture of the Gods and Yang Jinhua Seizing the Seal. Among the best known are Dansennima, Baiyinbaoligao, Chuobang, Sanbula, Saren Mandula, Helitengdugu'er, Baitanqi, Wiritanasitu and Xiennitu of the Qing dynasty; Zhana, Jinbaoshan, Changming, Kuaimang, Menggen Gaolitao, Erdun Zhurihe, Buren Bayar, Wendusu, Zhamusu and Xiribu of the Republican period; and since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Pajie, Maoyihan, Zhana, Daorji, Quejigawa, Laosier, Baoliang, Laixi, Wulijisang, Mengbangzhu, Renqin, Shulin, Tegxibayar, Demuxige, Ganzhu'er, Yuanbao, Temuer Gaole, Menggen Aola and many others — all of them held in high esteem for the excellence of their Uliger performing art. In the long course of development and change, Uliger performance in the different regions where it circulated took on characteristics of its own. From the 1980s onward, many well-known performers died one after another, new successors are seriously insufficient, ways of life have changed and forms of entertainment have become more varied; the survival and development of the Uliger artistic tradition is therefore in crisis, performances are shrinking, there is a want of venues for it, and the ranks are left without successors, so that strong measures of support and protection are urgently needed.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Chinese meaning of Uliger is “storytelling”; since it is performed in the Mongolian language, it is also called “Mongolian-language storytelling”. Among the Mongolian people, Uliger performed by bare-mouth recitation with no instrumental accompaniment is called “Yabugan Uliger”, also called “Hurui Uliger”; Uliger performed as narrative singing with chaoer accompaniment is called “Chaoren Uliger”; and Uliger performed as narrative singing with four-string fiddle accompaniment is called “Huren Uliger”. Uliger performance with instrumental accompaniment is normally given by a single performer, who plays the huqin himself while narrating and singing. The melodies of the vocal style are rich and flexible, and among those whose functional character is clearly defined are the “battle tune”, the “mate-choice tune”, the “satirical tune”, the “rivers-and-mountains tune”, the “travel tune”, the “court audience tune” and the like. The artistic accumulation of Uliger is exceedingly deep. Programmes are divided into short, medium and long works, the long works being the most compelling; The Story of the Suppression of Mangus, The Five Tang Narratives (that is, The Tale of Weeping Joy, The Whole Family's Happiness, The Tale of the Dead Demon, The Tale of Qibi and The Tale of the Qiang and Hu), Kublai Khan, The Golden History, The Western Han, The Romance of the Yuan History, The Romance of the Green History, Marshal Baiyinna, Spring and Autumn and the Warring States, The Great Western Liang, The Northern Liao, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Dream of the Red Chamber are all classics among them. New programmes written and staged after the founding of the People's Republic of China include The Twenty-Five-Thousand-Li Long March, Liu Hulan, Huang Jiguang, The Heroine Guo Junqing, Sons and Daughters of the Grassland, The Red Detachment of Women, The Red Lantern, Fighting Tigers on the Mountain, The Linked Hearts, The Golden Road, Sons and Daughters of Xisha and Pioneering. The Uliger performers who in former times travelled back and forth between the great grasslands of Inner Mongolia and the various Mongolian settlements of the north-east were like a host of brilliant stars. For the vast majority of the Mongolian people, Uliger is not only the principal form and means of their cultural life but also an important educational means by which they acquire knowledge and nurture the spirit; in their minds Uliger occupies a very important place.
Gorlos-style tale-telling
Baochaogezhu, pupil of the famous Guan Ga, absorbed the Gorlos manner and sings in both Mongolian and Chinese.
Baochaogezhu's works
His signature items include Uncle and Nephew Reunited and The Story of the Gorlos Cavalry Regiment.
Long narrative folk songs
Besides tale-telling he composed five long narrative folk songs, all broadcast on radio across the country.
Singing in two languages
His ability to perform in both Mongolian and Chinese widened the reach of his storytelling in Gorlos.
Teaching at the grassland culture centre
As a staff member of the Qianguo grassland culture centre he combines performance with teaching.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
On the Horqin grasslands “Huren Uliger” was relatively well developed, and in the course of history three schools of differing style formed there, represented by Menggen Gaolitao, Erdun Zhurihe and Buren Bayar; in Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County, Liaoning Province, on the other hand, the transplanting and staging of Han stories is fairly common, and it has brought forth new artistic forms such as “Fuxin Mongol opera”.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Wuligeer · Wuligeer · Wuligeer · Wuligeer.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Baochaogezhu (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Mongolian ethnicity, born in 1969, native of Horqin Left Wing Middle Banner, Inner Mongolia. A member of the staff of the Qian Gorlos County Grassland Cultural Centre. He is the last closed-door disciple of Guan Ga, the famous Uliger performer of Inner Mongolia, and was later given instruction by Tang Senlin, another famous Uliger performer. His narrative singing masters the Uliger artistic styles of all parts of Inner Mongolia, while at the same time absorbing the essence of Gorlos Uliger art; he has created a distinctive Gorlos Uliger art of his own and is able to perform in the Mongolian and Han languages alike. He has created in all more than twenty Uliger works and five long narrative folk songs, and the Uliger, Mongolian folk songs and Huolaibao that he narrates are broadcast by radio stations throughout the country. Representative works include Uncle and Nephew Reunited, The Story of Mongol Bo, The Story of the Gorlos Cavalry Regiment and The Blood Case beneath the Rumour. Representative inheritor of Uliger, a project of the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Laosier 02-0762
- Yangtielong 02-0763
- Hanyingfu 02-0764
- Baochaogezhu 02-0765
- Daiwode 04-1713
- Ganzhuer 05-2497
- Baizhalizeng 05-2498
- Zhangdeligen
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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