Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship

Ⅷ-124Traditional CraftsmanshipQianguoerluosimengguzuzizhi, JilinBatch 3 (2011)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

The morin khuur is called "choor" in Mongolian, named for the horse-head carved on the scroll. The Qian Gorlos area was the grazing land of the Gorlos tribe, abundant in horses and fine leather; the sound box and bow were made from local materials, and those who made the instrument grew up among horses from childhood, their bowing and fingering practiced atop the horse's back. The early traditional morin khuur was simply made—the sound box covered with hide, the frame stretched, the strings fitted, able merely to sound—until later it was refined and developed through the reforms of the master Sirachi, after which various places imitated it, all following Sirachi's lineage. The Gorlos morin khuur has its own choices and emphases, insisting that it not mask the human voice in an ensemble; its bowing and tuning follow the cadences of the long song and storytelling, which is decided less by the object itself than by the needs of accompaniment.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The morin khuur is a symbol of the musical culture of the Qian Gorlos Mongolian Autonomous County. The morin khuur is named for the horse-head carved on its scroll, and is a bowed string instrument of the Mongolian people, also called "choor" in Mongolian. The early traditional morin khuur was simply made, and later its making and processing techniques were continuously refined and developed through the reforms of the master Sirachi. The morin khuur is a treasure of the Mongolian nation and of the culture and art of the Chinese nation. The Gorlos morin khuur has deep cultural roots and humanistic grounding, and is also a uniquely distinctive folk craft masterpiece. The making of the morin khuur is a complex process with exacting material selection; every step is hand-carved and finely worked by veteran artisans.

Archival Records of the Production Process

The making of the morin khuur is a complex process with exacting material selection; every step is hand-carved and finely worked by veteran artisans.

Building the soundbox

Two curved boards form the body, joint flush and walls of equal thickness.

Carving the horse head

The horse's head is carved stroke by stroke, its expression set by the depth of each cut.

Mounting the skin

The skin is tightened until the pitch holds, without straining the box.

Stringing and tuning

Tuning is checked against the singing the instrument accompanies, by ear alone.

Making the bow

Bow wood and hair must be set with just enough tension or the tone dulls at once.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

At present, the locally produced morin khuur are sold far and wide to regions such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, as well as to countries including Mongolia and Japan, and are deeply favored by consumers.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Today the morin khuur no longer hangs only on the walls of herders' homes. The instruments made in Qianguo County travel with grassland music into the cities, and with performing troupes to Mongolia and Japan; beyond the original solo, ensemble, and orchestral forms, they are often played alongside symphony orchestras and philharmonic orchestras. A living tradition depends on living people to carry it: a single instrument must pass seven or eight checkpoints—material selection, stock-cutting, body-joining, hide-covering, frame-stretching, stringing, and tuning—each decided by feel and ear, with no blueprint to follow. The hardest problem at present is people: the instrument-makers around Qianguo are generally advanced in age, and most young people have taken other paths; a fine instrument takes months from material selection to shaping, and if an apprentice only watches the orders and refuses to sit down at the tuning work, he will not produce a finished piece in years.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship (Qianguoerluosimengguzuzizhi, Jilin) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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