Xinjiang preserves the Manas
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Manaschis performing Manas in a yurt in Aheqi County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Oct. 27, 2010. [Li Xiaohua/China.org.cn] |
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is doing a great job of preserving the Manas epic, a collection of poems that has been passed on orally among the Kyrgyz people over the last 1,000 years.
The Manas epic, which was listed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage last October, tells the story of Manas, his descendents and followers, often in battles against Kitay and Kalmak enemies. In one of its dozens of iterations, the epic poem consists of approximately 230,000 lines.
A research center dedicated to collecting Manas poems was set up in Aheqi in 2007 and now has 40 apprentices subsidized by the local government to learn 1,000 lines a month from the Manas, and 10,000 lines a year. Aheqi, where the Manas originated, is also the hometown of Jusufu Mamayi, one of the greatest performers of the Manas. Since 2005, the county has celebrated the manaschi’s birthday every year with singing contests to encourage more people to sing the Manas.
The celebration also brings in tourists from other parts of China and abroad. Last year, it attracted around 10,000 people. In March 2009, the Anheqi government funded the building of a Manas museum and a square featuring Manas culture. Besides being new tourist attractions, the museum and square will also help protect Kyrgyz culture.
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