Jangar
01 · Historical Records
Most scholars hold that the Jangar first arose among the Oirat Mongol tribes of China and, with the migrations of the various Oirat Mongol tribes in the seventeenth century, also spread among the Mongols of Russia and Mongolia, becoming a great epic across national borders. Since the 1980s China has begun large-scale collection and recording of the Jangar, and to date versions in several languages both within and outside the country have been published, with wide influence. The Jangar is named together with the Manas and the Gesar as the three great heroic epics of China; in 2006 it was approved by the State Council for inclusion in the first list of national intangible cultural heritage and is an outstanding representative of Mongol folk literature. The epic was long transmitted among the Oirat Mongol tribes by word of mouth and is still sung in various forms among the Mongol people of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and elsewhere.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Jangar had a long process of formation and development, spreading mainly by oral transmission, though manuscript and block-printed copies also exist. It is still sung among the Mongols today. Some famous folk artists have already died, and those still living are advanced in years, facing the danger that the song dies with the man. Taking Bomba, the ideal homeland, as its core image, the epic shapes the heroic group-portrait of Jangar and his twelve lion generals; its language is splendid and its rhythm resonant, and it makes great use of such devices as elaboration, exaggeration, metaphor, alliteration and end-rhyme, combining the strengths of narrative and lyric and embodying the distinctive character and aesthetic taste of the Mongol nation.
The Opening Poem
The general opening poem of the various parts of the Jangar.
The Defence of Bomba
The core of the story in which Jangar leads the twelve generals and six thousand warriors to defend Bomba.
Jangarchi
The name for the folk artists who sing the Jangar.
Accompanied Chanting and Unaccompanied Singing
The two forms of performing the Jangar.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Jangar is a Mongol heroic epic, circulating mainly among the Mongol communities of the Altai mountains in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. In China the Altai mountain area and the Ili river valley in northern Xinjiang and Alxa and Bayannur in Inner Mongolia are all important areas of the Jangar's circulation, and the various regions have formed distinctive singing forms such as accompanied chanting and unaccompanied singing.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Jangar · Jangar · Jangar · Jangar.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
This epic tells the story of the twelve lion generals and several thousand warriors led by Jangar, who fought hard against evil forces to defend their homeland Bomba and at last won victory, profoundly reflecting the life ideals and aesthetic pursuits of the Mongol people and possessing high artistic value. With the strengthening of globalisation and the sharp changes in economy and society, the survival, protection and development of the Jangar have met new circumstances and problems, and the situation is very grave. The work of salvaging and protecting the Jangar's transmitters and materials must therefore be pressed forward, so that this precious epic may be sung in the world for ever.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Jia Zhunai 01-0021
- Lirifu 01-0022
- Xiariniman 01-0023
- Bada 04-1493
- Mandoulai
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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