Mongolian Hunli
01 · Historical Records
The Ujumchin wedding is transmitted in West Ujumchin Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region — a purely pastoral banner whose population is mainly Mongolian, located in the northeast of the Xilingol League. The history of the wedding itself can be traced back to the old rules of Mongolian wedding ritual: more than thirty stages including betrothal, fetching the bride, the wedding ceremony, and the bride's return visit to her natal family, with numerous ceremonies and courtesies, expressing the ardent pursuit of a better life by the industrious, brave and wise Ujumchin people. The whole process is rich in ceremonial detail, and on the grassland it is renowned for its distinctive northern ethnic style, strong flavor of nomadic life, warm song-and-dance forms and grand occasions. A single wedding often lasts several days, with new and old friends, relatives and neighbors gathering in turn on horseback and inside yurts, which also drives the singing and performance of local songs and dances.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Mongolian weddings have a distinctive ethnic character, expressing in special forms the rugged, bold, brave, wise, industrious and kindhearted national character of the Mongols. Traditional weddings are held inside Mongolian yurts, in which ethnic traditional costume can be displayed to the fullest. Wedding ceremonies are broadly similar from place to place, with the display of horsemanship as one of their major features. The wedding process is often accompanied by song-and-dance performances in diverse forms, creating a very lively scene. West Ujumchin Banner is located in the northeast of the Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and is a purely pastoral banner whose population is mainly Mongolian. The Ujumchin wedding has a long history, and is renowned for its distinctive northern ethnic style, strong flavor of nomadic life, warm song-and-dance forms and grand occasions. The whole wedding process is rich in ceremonial detail, including more than thirty stages such as betrothal, fetching the bride, the wedding ceremony, and the bride's return visit, expressing the ardent pursuit of a better life by the industrious, brave and wise Ujumchin people.
A wedding of more than thirty stages
More than thirty stages, from betrothal to return visits, express the Wuzhumuqin people's eagerness for a good life.
A wedding held inside the yurt
Held inside a yurt, where traditional dress is displayed at its fullest, the limited space makes each rite sharply defined.
Song and dance at the wedding
Varied song and dance enliven every stage, gathering households spread across a purely pastoral county.
Riding display as a wedding feature
Riding display, common across the tradition, is where the Wuzhumuqin style of nomadic life shows most plainly.
The risk of losing the rite
The rite has been diluted and is at risk of loss, prompting rescue measures under the county's cultural tourism centre.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Mongols are distributed over a vast territory, and different places of residence have given rise to wedding ceremonies with different characteristics. The wedding ritual order of West Ujumchin Banner is directly tied to its purely pastoral environment: the grasslands are vast and the yurts scattered, so a wedding from matchmaking to the bride's return visit spans several days; those met on the road are herding households from neighboring banners, and the courtesies are therefore especially thorough. The Mongols are distributed over a vast territory, and different places of residence have given rise to wedding ceremonies with different characteristics; the Ujumchin branch is distinguished by its numerous stages and its emphasis on ceremony and on song and dance: betrothal is followed by fetching the bride, fetching the bride by the main wedding, and the main wedding by the bride's return visit — more than thirty procedures in all, each arranged by a dedicated person, with eulogies, toasts and song-and-dance interspersed throughout. The wedding is held inside a Mongolian yurt; the felt tent is both dwelling and wedding hall, and traditional costume is seen most truly in such a space.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Eerduosihunli · Mongolian Hunli · Mongolian Hunli.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
For various specific reasons, the Ujumchin wedding ritual has already been diluted and is in considerable danger of being lost; measures must be formulated as a matter of urgency to rescue and protect it. The value of the Ujumchin wedding lies in its complete preservation of a nation's ritual order: more than thirty stages linked one after another, with no break from marriage negotiation to the bride's return visit; the ceremonies are numerous yet not perfunctory, and each stage has its corresponding eulogies, toasting rituals and song-and-dance. For various specific reasons, the Ujumchin wedding ritual has already been diluted and is in considerable danger of being lost; measures must be formulated as a matter of urgency to rescue and protect it. The Cultural Tourism Development Center of West Ujumchin Banner carries on this work, gathering together the scattered records of ritual order from the various sumu within the banner and the oral accounts of inheritors.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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