Sainaimu
01 · Historical Records
In volume 142 of the Tongdian the Tang writer Du You records, in his account of the music and dance of the Western Regions, that “some leap, some bound, starting and stopping abruptly, raising the heels and snapping the fingers, shaking the head and making the eyes play, with feeling issuing from within and unable to stop of itself”.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Sainaim is a folk dance widely current among the Uyghurs of Xinjiang; Hotan Sainaim originated and is transmitted in Yutian County of Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Yutian County lies in the southwestern part of Xinjiang, on the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains, bordering the Tibet Autonomous Region. Since ancient times, Yutian, an important station on the southern route of the ancient oasis Silk Road, has formed a distinctive local culture under the influence of several cultures. Sainaim exists widely in Uyghur folk life and inherits to a considerable degree the legacy of the music and dance of the ancient Western Regions; it is the basic form from which the various categories of Uyghur dance developed. In the transmission and dissemination of Sainaim, suites of song and dance with distinct local characteristics were also formed, so Sainaim refers both to its specific dance form and to the musical suites that accompany it. When Hotan Sainaim is danced, all parts of the body move in coordination and grace, and the wrists and the steps in particular vary extremely richly. The dancing is elegant and dignified, and the expression of feeling is delicate. Compared with the Sainaim of other parts of Xinjiang, the exchange of feeling between men and women when they dance together in Hotan Sainaim is rather implicit and restrained. Its performing form is free, and it can be performed either indoors or outdoors. Hotan Sainaim is accompanied by a suite of seven Hotan folk songs; the accompanying instruments include the tanbur, the rawap, the dutar, the satar and the dap. When the music begins the dancers enter, and may dance solo, in pairs, or several together. The basic movements for women include the three-step-and-one-lift “following-the-wind flag”, the cushioning step with finger snapping, the hand-at-cheek hip-press sidestep, the front-and-back toe-pointing step with hand turning, and the fingers-at-neck head-turning step; the basic movements for men include the diagonal palm-supported kneel and squat, the cushioning step with hat held high, the shuttle step with hand flung out, the shuttle step with hand turned, and the palm-clap leap with turn. Among its sung texts there are both folk songs and local legends. With its long history and its outstanding features, this heritage project occupies an important position in the art of Uyghur song, dance and music, and serves to unite, to gather, to educate and to inspire the masses.
Women's movement vocabulary
Women's basic movement includes the three-step-and-lift banner, stepping finger snaps, chin-on-hand hip shifts, front-and-back toe taps and neck slides.
Men's movement vocabulary
Men's basic movement includes the kneeling palm-lift, stepping hat-lift, shuttle step with hand flicks and the clap-and-leap turn.
A suite of seven Hotan songs
It is accompanied by a suite of seven Hotan songs played on tambur, rawap, dutar, satar and dap, dancers entering to dance alone, in pairs or in groups.
On the southern Silk Road
Keriya county lies below the Kunlun on the old southern Silk Road; its position among many cultures produced the local character of the Hotan form.
Reserved exchange in the group dance
Compared with other sanam, the Hotan form keeps the exchange between men and women more veiled and reserved, in a freely arranged performance.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Uyghur Sainaim has formed regional variants owing to regional differences, which show up above all in its suites of song and dance; the Uyghur people generally prefix a place name to Sainaim to distinguish them, and Hotan Sainaim takes its name in this way.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Uyghur Sanam · Uyghur Sanam · Sainaimu · Sainaimu · Sainaimu · Sainaimu · Sainaimu.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
This heritage project is transmitted mainly by oral instruction and demonstration passed from master to apprentice and from one generation of a family to the next.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Aimaiti Simayi 03-0954
- Nasier Nusuer 04-1583
- Aimidouli Rehemisha 05-2283
- Yimin Yibila 05-2284
- Yasen Aisa 05-2285
- Abulimiti Xiahabi 05-2286
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。