China News Service, Urumqi, December 27 (Gou Jipeng) More than 200 years ago, more than 4,000 Xibo people moved from the northeast to the Ili River Valley in the northwest, where they have lived and multiplied to this day.
Recently, the reporter visited the Xibe people living in Ili, Xinjiang, and experienced the current status of local inheritance and protection of Xibe embroidery, singing and dancing, bow and arrow making and other traditional cultures.
Westward migration across thousands of miles
The reporter learned more about this feat of westward migration more than 200 years ago in the Xibe Westward Migration Historical Memorial Hall in Chabuchar Xibo Autonomous County (hereinafter referred to as "Cha County") in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
After the Qing Dynasty put down the Junggar rebellion, General Yili was appointed to rule the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.
In order to strengthen the management of the northwest frontier, the Qing government mobilized troops from the pass to supplement the frontier defense.
According to historical records, in 1764, the Qing government transferred more than 1,000 Xibe soldiers and 3,200 family members from 15 places including Shenyang, which belonged to Shengjing, to form the Xibo Camp, and moved them to Yili, Xinjiang for reclamation and border defense.
According to local Xibe people, their ancestors set out from Shenyang in the middle of the 18th century. After more than a year of arduous trek, traveling more than 10,000 miles, they finally arrived in today's Ili and settled down here.
To this day, the local Xibe people hold major events on April 18th of the lunar calendar every year to commemorate the heroic achievements of their ancestors. This day has also become the most important traditional festival of the Xibe people in Xinjiang - the Westward Migration Festival.
In 2006, the Westward Migration Festival of the Xibe people in Xinjiang was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.
Successors of Xibe traditional culture
"My father and I are craftsmen who make traditional Xibe bows and arrows. I want to promote traditional things in an advanced way." said Zhao Hu, a post-90s Xibo traditional bow and arrow craftsman in Chaxian County. Every time he makes a bow and arrow In the process, you can feel the wisdom left by the ancestors of the Xibe people for generations.
The Xibe people are martial arts, and many Xibe boys like Zhao Hu love archery since they were young. Chaxian County is also known as "China's Arrow Township".
When the reporter saw Zhao Hu at the Bow and Arrow Museum in Xibo Ancient City, Chaxian County, he was making bow and arrow bags.
Today, the traditional bow and arrow making skills of the Xibe people have been included in the national intangible cultural heritage protection list. The young Zhao Hu also hopes to do his best to let more people know about the traditional bow and arrow of the Xibe people.
The bows and arrows he made are also sold all over the country through e-commerce.
Xibe embroiderer Zha Xiaoyu (first from the right) is busy with her embroidery work.
Photo by Gou Jipeng
Xibe embroidery is another important skill that represents the handicraft of this nation.
Xibe girls learn embroidery skills as soon as they are sensible.
Zha Xiaoyu is the person in charge of the embroidery cooperative in Yiche Gashan Xibo Township, Horgos City, Yili Prefecture. The reporter saw in her embroidery cooperative that there are a variety of Xibe embroidery products such as clothing, headscarves, pillowcases, and purses, with gorgeous colors.
For many years, Zha Xiaoyu has been obsessed with the development and inheritance of Xibe embroidery.
"From hand embroidery to machine embroidery, my greatest wish is to pass on and spread the embroidery of our Xibe nationality." Zha Xiaoyu told reporters while busy with the embroidery work in hand.
The Xibe people living in the Ili River Valley have relatively well preserved the Xibe language, folk songs and dances, food culture, clothing embroidery, sports and entertainment and other traditional cultures, many of which have been listed as intangible cultural heritage protection at all levels Directory, there are successors.
The traditional culture of the Xibe people has been inherited in an orderly manner
The orderly inheritance of Xibe traditional culture in Xinjiang benefits from the great practice of regional ethnic autonomy in our country.
After the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang, various policies of ethnic regional autonomy have been gradually implemented. Chabuchar Xibo Autonomous County is the only autonomous county in China where the Xibe people are the main body. The first ethnic township.
Today, the Xibo people living in the above two places will carry out various activities with their own cultural characteristics every festival.
Up to now, Xinjiang has also successfully declared more than 150 intangible cultural heritages at all levels related to the traditional culture of the Xibe people, and is actively exploring and cultivating inheritors.
According to statistics, China currently has a population of more than 190,000 Xibo people, mainly distributed in Liaoning, Jilin, and Ili Prefecture in Xinjiang.
There are more than 40,000 Xibe people living in the Yili River Valley in Xinjiang, and they are mainly distributed in Chaxian, Huocheng, Gongliu and other places.
(use up)