Xinjiang Weiwuerzumaixirefu
01 · Historical Records
The Tahe meshrep of the Mulei mountains is the product of the meshrep of the Turpan region flowing into northern Xinjiang and being re-forged with the nomadic way of life of the grasslands. The local Uyghurs make their living from herding; their dwellings are scattered and the mountain roads are long, so a meshrep cannot always be held in a fixed room, and the singers ride on horseback, beating a hand drum while singing in time with the tinkle of horse bells and the beat of hooves. This mobile way of singing in turn shaped the musical form: the whole suite is made up of five sections joined together, namely the "Azal" of the introduction, the "Dankdiman" of the prelude, the "Jula" of the main body, the "Selika" of the lesser climax, and the "Quxurgai" of the climax and conclusion. Azal is sung solo by one person, accompanied by the single instrument satar; the other four sections are all led by one singer with the crowd joining in, accompanied by multiple instruments. It is said that this form once comprised twelve suites in all; today only seven survive, and the remaining few have been broken off.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The word "meshrep" comes from Arabic and means "gathering". Meshrep is centered on dance and recreational activities; participants amuse themselves, and the numbers taking part are large. Meshrep can be divided by performance form into song-and-dance meshrep, game meshrep and speech-and-song meshrep, and by performance content into parlor meshrep, welcome meshrep and harvest meshrep. Every part of Xinjiang has its own meshrep; the forms are broadly similar, and they are given names such as "Dolan", "Kok" and "Tahe", each with its own distinctive features. The Tahe meshrep of the Uyghurs, circulating in Mulei Kazakh Autonomous County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is a large-scale comprehensive art form integrating song, dance and music, and is the favorite of the Uyghur herdsmen of the Mulei mountains; it carries the original genes of the meshrep of the Turpan region while also displaying the character of the grassland culture of the northern Xinjiang mountains. The Tahe meshrep of Mulei is richly varied in type: there are festival meshrep, wedding meshrep and invitation meshrep, as well as Karlak meshrep, Yamwurlik meshrep and Aktayak meshrep, each with distinct regional features. Meshrep activities often last all night long; the number of participants is unlimited, and whether many or few, everyone sings and dances amid great revelry. Even more distinctive: because dwellings are scattered and mountain roads are long, the singers often ride on horseback, beating a hand drum while singing in time with the ringing of horse bells and the rhythm of hooves, very much in the lingering style of nomadic culture. It is said that the Tahe meshrep of Mulei comprises twelve suites in all, of which only seven now survive; each suite is composed of five parts: the "Azal" of the introduction, the "Dankdiman" of the prelude, the "Jula" of the main body, the "Selika" of the lesser climax, and the "Quxurgai" of the climax and conclusion. Apart from Azal, in which one person sings solo accompanied by the single instrument satar, the other four parts are all sung with one person leading and the crowd joining in, accompanied by multiple instruments.
Singing and drumming on horseback
Because villages are scattered and the roads long, singers drum and sing on horseback in time with bells and hooves, keeping a pastoral flavour.
The five-part song cycle
Each set runs from the opening azal through danqidiman, zhula, sailika and the closing qusulga, each part raising the energy.
Twelve sets, seven surviving
Of the twelve sets said to have existed, only seven survive; the rest were lost as older singers died without passing on their art.
Karlake, Yamurik and Aketaye types
Beyond festival, wedding and invited gatherings, place-named types such as Karlake, Yamurik and Aketaye keep local singing styles apart.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
This Tahe meshrep is mainly distributed in Bostan Village of Bostan Township, Mulei County, Shenjiagou Village of Dongcheng Town, and the Uyghur settlement areas of Zhaobishan Township that are primarily engaged in herding.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Weiwuerdaolangmaixirefu · Xinjiang Weiwuerzumaixirefu · Xinjiang Weiwuerzumaixirefu · Xinjiang Weiwuerzumaixirefu.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Meshrep is a distinctive form of folk entertainment of the Xinjiang Uyghurs, and also an ancient folk cultural activity with a long history and uninterrupted transmission. With the changes of the times, the Tahe meshrep of the Mulei Uyghurs has grown less and less attractive to young people; in addition, as some old singers have died one after another, their singing and playing techniques have found no successors. This distinctive form of ethnic cultural expression is already in an endangered state, and the relevant authorities need to formulate protective measures rapidly.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Aili Yibulayin 04-1966
- Talipu Kuwan 05-2989
- Ailiyasi Gayiti 05-2990
- Kazimuhadeer
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回 英文名录。