China News Service, Chifeng, June 3rd, title: "Hometown of Gesell Culture in China": The epic "Geser" is getting more attention
China News Service reporter Li Aiping
Just before dawn, 53-year-old Urituna started playing the Mongolian four-hu musical instrument at home.
Half an hour later, he practiced the rap art of the "Gassl" epic (referred to as the "Gassl" epic) with a strong voice, which has been his unstoppable homework in the past five years.
The epic "Geser" is one of the three heroic epics of ethnic minorities in China, and is an excellent cultural heritage of the same origin and different origins collectively created by the Mongolian and Tibetan people.
The Mongolian "Gesl" epic spreads across China, Mongolia, and Russia. It is one of the few living folk epics in the world and is known as the "Iliad" of the East.
Wuritunashun is a teacher at the Mongolian Middle School in Balinyou Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. His hometown is known as the "Hometown of Gesier Culture in China".
On June 3, he said in an interview with reporters: "As a disciple of Jinbazamusu, it is very valuable to inherit the epic "Geser", and it is also what I am most happy to do."
Jinbazamusu, who is 89 years old this year, is an outstanding representative among the artists who sing the epic "Geser", and he is also a national representative inheritor of the epic "Geser", a representative project of national intangible cultural heritage. With a total of 186,000 lines, the epic "Gesl" is the longest and most abundant oral text of the epic so far.
In an interview with the media before, the old man Kimbazamusu said that his greatest wish in this life is to "pass down the intangible cultural heritage of the epic "Gesl".
"Early I studied the epic "Gesl" with the local teacher Nima Aosir, and later I studied with Mr. Jinbazamusu. In the past five years, I have learned the "Gesl" while studying. The epic is passed on to the students, and the inheritance work is done well." Wuritu Nashun told reporters.
Uritunashun admitted that it is very difficult to learn the epic of "Geser". "Not only does it require a good memory, but it also requires unremitting practice of vocal and singing skills, and there are also high requirements for clear articulation."
"In a specific performance, about 8 people are generally required to participate. In the past five years, we have been insisting on performing in the local area, the purpose is to let more people understand the art of rap." Uritunashun said.
The 52-year-old Aogan Batel is a local herdsman in Bahrain You Banner. He has studied with Jinba Zamusu for nearly 10 years. Now he has grown into a representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Chifeng's "Geser" epic.
"I have been fond of various musical instruments since I was a child. In 2012, I studied the epic "Geser" with Mr. Jinbazamusu, and used our spare time to study at the teacher's house twice a month." Jinbazamusu said.
Before 2020, Aogan Batel and 9 other "Geser" epic artists performed all over the country, "We performed in Xinjiang, Shanghai, and Shandong, and each performance lasted about 8 minutes. Everyone learned through the subtitles that " Gesell's epic, the response was particularly strong."
"Especially in Shandong's performances, we performed more than 10 times a day, and a few of us suddenly felt like stars." Aogan Bartel said with a smile, as an inheritor, he has now begun to take apprentices.
The picture shows the artist of "Gusle" performing.
Photo courtesy of Aogan Bartel
As a representative project of national intangible cultural heritage, the epic "Gasser" is getting more and more local attention.
52-year-old Alatan Menghe is the director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center of Bahrain Right Banner in Chifeng City. He proudly told reporters that his hometown has been known as the "Hometown of Chinese Gesier Culture" since 2008. Now there are 15 representative inheritors of the intangible cultural heritage of the epic "Gasser" epic at the national and municipal levels here.
In terms of inheriting and protecting the epic "Gasser", Alatan Menghe told reporters: "At present, we are using text, images, audio, video and other methods to comprehensively implement national-level intangible cultural heritage representative projects and municipal-level representative inheritors. Records, preservation and disclosure of record results, and further promotion of social use.”
The reporter was informed that the local officials are collecting and arranging the oral stories and related works of the "Geser" epic in the protection and inheritance of the "Geser" epic, and edited and published "The Hometown of Gesir in China - Bahrain Right Banner" and "Bahrain Right". He has written literary works such as the Picture Album of the Development History of Qi Gesier Culture, and has created and completed the stage play "The Life of Gesi Erping" and so on.
Balinyou Banner is one of the main birthplaces of the Mongolian "Geser" epic culture, and a base for the protection, inheritance and research of the "Geser" epic intangible culture.
Alatan Menghe introduced that in September 2021, the epic institute of "Gasser" was officially put into use.
In Alatan Menghe's view, the completion of this project will vigorously promote the overall protection, inheritance and development of the epic culture of "Geser", enhance the social recognition of the epic "Geser" in Bahrain Right Banner, and promote the "Geser" epic. The inheritance and promotion of the epic culture of Sier is of great significance.
Hu Yan, deputy director of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, once said at a meeting that in recent years, under the framework of intangible cultural heritage protection, regions and units related to the epic of "Gasser" have continuously improved the level of protection and inheritance, and strived to improve the inheritance of It has become an important example of propagating the party's national policy and an important example of protecting and promoting the traditional national culture.
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