Let the heroic epic "Manas" remain timeless and sing the millennium epic | Manas | Heroes
Singing for thousands of years, making the heroic epic "Manas" timeless and timeless
——Practice and Exploration of Protecting and Inheriting the Epic of Manas in Xinjiang Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture
Author: Guangming Daily Research Group
We need to strengthen the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, and promote the excellent traditional culture of all ethnic groups.
As one of the three great heroic epics in China, "Manas" is known as the "encyclopedia of the ancient life of the Kyrgyz people.". For thousands of years, this long scroll of poetry has been passed down and thrived on the Pamir Plateau, interpreting the national spirit of the Kyrgyz people and showcasing their ethnic customs.
We need to strengthen the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, and promote the excellent traditional culture of all ethnic groups.
"The ancient rap of" Manas "by the Kyrgyz people will gradually disappear with the arrival of the information age in the 21st century. People will no longer sing" Manas "and it will enter museums." This is a pessimistic "judgment" by some ethnic scholars in the 1990s.
So, in today's highly developed media and entertainment industry, is this millennium old national epic on the brink of disappearance? What new breakthroughs have it made in protection, inheritance, and promotion?
In July, a reporter from Guangming Daily, along with experts and scholars from the Institute of Ethnic Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the School of Chinese Language and Literature of Xinjiang University, formed a research group to travel to Wuqia County and Aheqi County in the Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang. In the county town surrounded by mountains, on the boundless green grassland, in the pure white felt felt houses, and at the bustling wedding ceremony, one can hear everywhere:
"The wasteland has turned into a lake, the lake and sea have turned into mulberry fields, the hills have turned into ravines, and the snow peaks have also changed their appearance. The story of the hero Manas has been passed down from generation to generation..."
1. Cultivating New Power in Singing: Young Manaschi Grows Up
Under the blue sky and white clouds, surrounded by mountains. 15-year-old Maize Tali Yatiku, dressed in festive attire, sang the national epic "Manas" at the opening ceremony of the 9th Manas International Cultural Tourism Festival:
"This is a story left by our ancestors, how can we not sing it? It is a legacy left by our ancestors, passed down from generation to generation today... As long as we sing the heroic stories of our ancestors, beautiful words and phrases will gush out."
Compared to a year ago, his singing is more mature and his whole personality is more confident.
A thousand people sang "Manas" together. Photo by Zhai Ruzeng/Guangming Pictures
The singer who sings "Manas" is known as "Manas Qi". For thousands of years, generations of Manas have enriched the content, melody, and melody of "Manas" through oral transmission, continuously injecting vitality and energy into this national epic.
Among the many Manas, Ju Sufu Mamai is undoubtedly the most dazzling one. Before his death, he was the only master in the world who could perform eight complete parts of Manas, with a singing scale of over 230000 lines, equivalent to 14 times the ancient Greek epic Iliad. He is a world-renowned national treasure level Manaschi, known as "Contemporary Homer".
"Teacher Ju Sufu Mamai said that we should be willing to be a 'ladder' to help young people climb high places, and the future of 'Manas' belongs to them. In the past two years, as a provincial-level inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, Jiang Nuri Tureganba Yi's figure has been constantly appearing in training classes, cultural museums, and campuses. He has devoted his time and energy to exploring and cultivating a new generation of Manas Qi.".
A group of young Manaschi grew rapidly.
"Although his mind is agile and intelligent, his abilities are unparalleled and he is incredibly brave. Although he can devour his opponents like a dragon, he is a lone hero of Selhak. How can he defeat enemies with many people and powerful forces alone..."
27 year old Tieliwaldi Bai Xianna sits cross legged, sometimes passionate and sometimes sorrowful, and delivers a never-ending personal rap that vividly portrays the battles of swords, swords, and iron horses on the banks of the Agat River. For a moment, applause thundered.
On that day, he won the top spot in the youth group in the Youth Manaski Rap Competition. Few people know that this "champion" is still a college graduate. After graduating from Xinjiang Normal University last year, he entered the Kezhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center to work, responsible for the rescue protection of the singing variant of "Manas", the collection and recording of Manas and representative inheritors singing Honda, as well as the training of inheritors.
"When I was 13 years old, I started learning how to sing" Manas "under the guidance of Professor Ju Sufu Mamai. The longer I sang, the more I felt that it was a cultural treasure that could not be fully learned or sung." Tielivardi Bai Xiannahong said, "There is still a lot for us young Manas to do in terms of inheritance and protection."
With the same voice, there is also a 29 year old young man named Togenali Tusunali. He is the great grandson of Ju Sufu Mamai, who grew up listening to his great grandfather rap "Manas" and is now able to sing continuously for more than 6 hours. In 2021, he was admitted to the Central University for Nationalities as a doctoral student, continuing to inherit, protect, and research "Manas".
"Perhaps there will never be a big Manas like my great grandfather again, but the new generation of Manas is growing and also driving the spread of 'Manas' to new vitality." Tohanali Tosonari said that in recent years, he has focused his research on how to attract more young people to pay attention to' Manas', sing 'Manas', and love' Manas'. Using short video online platforms to enhance the interaction between the singer and the audience is a beneficial attempt in the online age.
Since the inclusion of Manas in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, in order to cultivate and strengthen the Manas Qi team, Kezhou has established a state and county level Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Inheritance Center and Kezhou Manas Qi Association, established a list of Manas inheritors, strictly distributed living allowances to "national, autonomous region, autonomous state, and county-level" inheritors, and held Manas Qi training courses to train 84 Manas Qi inheritors, driving a group of young Manas Qi to grow rapidly.
2. Promoting New Breakthroughs in Research: The Epic of Manas has Classic Text
In mid July, the Manas exhibition hall of the Kezhou Museum welcomed a special group of guests.
Lang Ying, Honorary Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Second level Researcher, stopped in front of the photo wall in the exhibition hall, searching for her own figure. "You see, this is the first time I went from Beijing to Kezhou to record 'Manas' when I just walked out of school in 1965. At that time, I was only in my twenties, and now I am already in my eighties." Lang Ying said, "It was also this time that I was recorded, which made her inseparable from' Manas'.
In fact, the collection, organization, and research work of "Manas" cannot be separated from the strong support and active participation of experts and scholars from the beginning.
The musical "Manas" is being performed in many parts of China. Photo taken by Yang Huaming/Bright Picture
Before the establishment of the People's Republic of China, there was no written record in "Manas" and it was all taught by Manas Qi through oral communication. Each Manaschi will improvise based on their own characteristics, and the same storyline will have ever-changing expressions because different people sing it.
In the 1960s, the Xinjiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles led the organization of language collection for the Kyrgyz ethnic group. Unexpectedly, in the remote mountainous area of Aheqi County, Ju Sufu Mamai was discovered. He could continue singing "Manas" for several months, with a total of hundreds of thousands of lines. His unparalleled super memory and superb singing skills have impressed scholars.
Scholars have compiled epic fragments of "Manas" based on his singing content, which caused a sensation in the academic community both domestically and internationally after its publication. For a moment, it shattered the argument that "there is no folk epic in China". Subsequently, the Xinjiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Folk Literature and Art Association organized recording groups in 1961 and 1964 respectively to record the performance of "Manas" by Ju Sufu Mamai.
In these two records, Ju Sufu Mamai contributed the first six parts of the epic poem "Manas", with a total of over 196500 lines. This number is nearly five times the sum of Homer's epics, the Iliad, and the Odyssey.
Unfortunately, most of the recorded content was later destroyed. In 1979, under the call of several experts and scholars from the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association, Ju Sufu Mamai was brought to Beijing and began his third collection. This time, he performed the seventh and eighth parts of "Manas" for the first time, and reorganized the original six parts. The final epic of "Manas" reached eight parts and over 230000 lines.
This news has attracted widespread attention from ethnic scholars both domestically and internationally, and has also sparked a wave of research on Manas. Taking this as an opportunity, Chinese scholars such as Lang Ying have published works such as "On the Manas," "A Study of the Manas Epic Singer," and "A Biography of the Manas Singer," all of which have had a widespread impact, promoting the in-depth study of the Manas epic. They not only firmly grasp the discourse power of the study of the Manas, but also lead the international research direction of the Manas epic.
In 1995, according to the singing version of Ju Sufu Mamai, eight epic poems of "Manas" in Kyrgyz language were published, which was the world's first and most complete printed version of "Manas", promoting the transformation of "Manas" from oral transmission to textual inheritance.
But experts and scholars have not stopped. In 2004, the Xinjiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Kezhou Government teamed up to organize more than 40 experts to launch the translation work of "Manas". After 18 years of unremitting efforts, in April 2022, a fully translated Chinese version of "Manas" consisting of 8 volumes and 18 volumes, with over 236000 lines and over 20 million words, was published and distributed, which has been highly sought after by Manas enthusiasts both domestically and internationally.
Several experts and scholars have stated that after entering the 21st century, with the passing of national level inheritors of Manas, represented by Ju Sufu Mamai, people can no longer witness the epic singing activities of epic masters with their own eyes. The epic portrayal of the original ecology has gradually become a history that can no longer be reproduced. From a global perspective, the traditional environment for epic singing has changed or disappeared, and traditional epic rap faces many challenges.
Although there are many regrets and reluctance, the epic of Manas will inevitably embark on a process of textualization and classicalization. It is precisely for this reason that the release of a fully translated Chinese version means that Manas can break national and regional boundaries, go global, and be understood and accepted by more people. At the same time, a fully translated Chinese version can also promote the popularization of research on Manas and lay a solid foundation for creative transformation and innovative development.
"I felt the magical charm of the Chinese translation of 'Manas' and couldn't help but immerse myself in it," said Rong Sihua, an associate professor at Jiangxi Normal University. She often opens' Manas' in the morning to start her daily life. "Although I live in a small room, I feel the wind whistling past, and the whole grassland welcomes me.". At present, "Manas" has entered a period of gradually stable textual inheritance, but still exhibits active cultural productivity. "It can be said that I enjoy the ancient and classic singing of 'Manas', as well as the way it appears on paper today."
3. Expanding new forms of performance: The rap of "Manas" has transformed into opera, dance, and performance
On the night of July 13th, over the Pamir Plateau, there were scattered stars. The sports stadium in Wuqia County is packed with people. The three major epics of Chinese ethnic minorities, "Gesar," "Jianger," and "Manas," were performed on the same stage, showcasing the unique charm of Chinese cultural treasures to the world.
A folk art troupe from Guoluo Prefecture, Qinghai Province, performed a classic segment of Gesar Tibetan opera called "Horse Racing to King". With a unique round light rap opening, it portrayed the story of Gesar and his uncle fighting against each other to win the throne, and the whole country was in celebration.
The Xinjiang Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture Song and Dance Troupe has brought an adapted version of "Jiang'er New Singing", which not only incorporates the unique Mongolian instrument of Tobuxiu and the unique Sawerdeng dance in Xinjiang, but also rearranges the music and repertoire to increase its infectiousness.
The finale of "Manas" is not a traditional solo performance by artists, but a musical drama starring nearly a hundred members. The artists played the passionate and unrestrained Kumzi, played the warm and pure harmonica, and performed the five parts of Manas's growth, alliance, wedding, return, and expedition with song and dance, pushing the performance to its climax time and time again.
"This is the song and dance drama 'Manas' that we have created with the support of Jiangsu's aid to Xinjiang." Yang Huaming, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Kezhou Song and Dance Troupe, introduced that it has changed the traditional singing mode of' Manas' where one person sings and multiple people listen. It integrates multiple ethnic instruments and dances such as Kumzi, Kouxian, and Kayak, and re creates important singing segments, ultimately forming an original song and dance drama that combines song and dance, narrative and lyricism. This play has been exhibited multiple times in other places and has become increasingly mature, gaining recognition from audiences both inside and outside Xinjiang.
In fact, since the epic "Manas" first stepped out of the grassland and onto the stage in 1984, it has been constantly embracing artistic forms such as duet, choir, performance, opera, dance, and song and dance with an innovative attitude, constantly moving from the Pamir Plateau to a wider distance.
In recent years, Kezhou has accelerated the creative transformation and innovative development of the epic "Manas". Dance dramas, operas, and song and dance dramas adapted from "Manas" have been performed to the outside world, and the millennium heroic epic "Manas" has become more well-known.
In 2015, literary and artistic workers from Wuxi and Aheqi County in Kezhou, based on the epic of "Manas", created a dance drama called "Hero Manas" that not only appeared on various domestic stages, but was also invited to perform in Russia, achieving success; In 2017, the Central Opera House adapted the "Manas" epic into an opera and performed in Kyrgyzstan after its first performance in Beijing. The cultural treasure shared by the people of two countries shine brightly on the stage, playing the strong voice of the times of China Kyrgyzstan traditional friendship. The "Manas" epic has become a cultural card of the "the Belt and Road".
In the view of Zhang Yun, an associate researcher at the Xinjiang Art Research Institute, while fully respecting the core essence of the epic "Manas" in terms of knowledge, cultural form, and heritage form, and following the trend of the times, promoting the integration of traditional singing and other art forms of "Manas" can enrich its inheritance methods, increase its infectiousness and dissemination.
Mao Qiaohui, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that Manas Qi has always been passed down through a "master singing, apprentice listening" approach, with strong regional characteristics. Most singers only perform the familiar chapters of "Manas". But with the flow of population and diversification of media, there are more and more exchanges between Manas, especially performances and competitions organized by governments at all levels, as well as adaptations and creations of dance dramas, operas, and song and dance dramas, which adapt to the development of the times and promote the cross regional and cross-cultural inheritance and development of Manas, making ancient epics shine in new cultural spaces.
Yang Xia, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnic Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the artistic presentation of Manas needs to be further enriched after comparing the creative transformation and innovative development of Gesar and Jianger. She gave an example that the inheritance of the epic of Gesar has covered various artistic categories, including Gesar music, Gesar Tibetan opera, Gesar thangka, Gesar stone carvings, Gesar comics, Gesar musicals, etc. Its reconstruction and re creation have presented an open attitude and rich connotations.
Yang Xia also stated that in terms of novel creation, Liu Liangcheng's novel "Benba", which had just won the Mao Dun Literature Award, was rewritten and reconstructed from "Jianger"; The Tibetan writer Mei Zhuo's long novel "Divine Teaching · Magic Ridge Record" and the biographical mythological novel "King Gesar" created by Alai are both reconstructions and re creations of the epic "Gesar". This also has reference significance for the artistic arrangement of the epic Manas.
4. Experience and Inspiration
1、 Shoulder the main responsibility and implement the protection and inheritance in detail. As the birthplace and inheritance place of the epic of "Manas" and the culture of Manas, the Kezhou Party Committee and government have placed the inheritance and protection of "Manas" in a prominent position, and have specially formulated a plan for the rescue and protection of "Manas". The State People's Congress has drafted regulations on the inheritance and protection of "Manas" epic, and established a specialized institution for the research of the protection and inheritance of "Manas" epic. Especially with the nine consecutive Manas International Cultural Tourism Festivals held, the resounding cultural slogan of "Pamir of the World, Eternal Manas" has been sounded, expanding the popularity and influence of the epic of "Manas" and bringing vitality and vitality to the ancient epic of "Manas".
2、 Highlighting the inheritance of vitality and cultivating young Manasseki. Having been passed down for thousands of years, "Manas" still has a strong mass foundation today. One of the major characteristics and unique values of the epic lies in its vivid form. Kezhou highlights the protection of living forms and the cultivation of inheritors. It has launched multiple training courses on the epic of "Manas", trained more than 800 people, held a youth singing competition for "Manas", and carried out activities such as intangible cultural heritage entering schools, classrooms, communities, scenic areas, and cultural and museum venues. The epic of "Manas" has been included in primary school auxiliary courses to cultivate a new generation of inheritors. At the same time, in conjunction with the Kirghiz traditional festival Noruz Cultural Festival spontaneously organized by the masses, a folk "Manas" singing activity will be held to strengthen the mass foundation of Manas culture.
3、 Pay attention to upholding integrity and innovation, and continuously enrich inheritance methods. In the 21st century, the epic of "Manas" needs to break away from traditional inheritance methods and use modern literary and artistic means to creatively adapt it, translate it into a widely circulated version of the national common language, and use modern art forms and technological means such as opera, dance dramas, movies, TV dramas, animations, painted walls, and other multimedia forms to present the ancient epic more closely to the lives of contemporary people, making "Manas" truly an excellent cultural heritage that is down-to-earth. Through creative transformation and innovative development, traditional epic explores a development path that suits itself in terms of modernization, lifestyle, aesthetics, and creativity, truly reflecting its essence of people-oriented.
4、 Strengthen international exchanges and create a cultural card on the "the Belt and Road". For thousands of years, "Manas" has been widely circulated among the Kyrgyz people of China and Kyrgyzstan. The Manas of the two countries sing the story of the heroic struggle of the hero Manas and his descendants in a common language and music melody. Kezhou once held the "Manas" International Concert and Protection Forum in Urumqi, allowing Manas Qi from China and Kyrgyzstan to compete on stage for the first time; Kyrgyzstan has also held four consecutive years of seminars on the singing art of Chinese Manas singer Ju Sufu Mamai, and translated his singing texts into Kyrgyz language for local publication, which has had a significant impact. In the exchange and mutual learning, the two sides have further enriched and deepened the research on the epic of Manas. It is also necessary to further strengthen the exchanges and interactions between countries, so that Manas can blossom more splendor and charm in countries along the "the Belt and Road".
Guangming Daily
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