Kazakh Dastan

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Kazakh Dastan

Applicant: Shawan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Project No.: 559

Project No.: I-72

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: Folk Literature

Region: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Type: new item

Applicant: Shawan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Protection unit: Shawan County Cultural Center

Introduction to Kazak Dastan:

Applicant: Shawan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Dastan of Kazak nationality, including myths, legends and life stories with rich contents, is the oldest and most popular type of literature in Kazak folk literature. Its creation is related to major events in Kazak history, mainly distributed in 28 counties where Kazaks live in Xinjiang. The Kazakh Dastan is rich in content, tortuous plot, mainly narrative, and the inherited poems are relatively old. It is an indispensable performance item for the Kazakh people in festivals, gatherings, weddings and other festive days. It is a true portrayal of the Kazakh life and shows the social conditions and folk customs of the Kazakh people.

Kazakh Dastan includes Kazakh ancient myths, legends, poems, proverbs and stories. It is formed and developed on the basis of rich folk literature. About 200 long poems are spread by word of mouth. Kazakh Folk Dastan generally has a relatively fixed tune, which is usually accompanied by Dongbula. According to the content, it can be divided into hero poems, love poems, history poems and so on. Dastan of Kazak nationality is an encyclopedia of politics, economy, history, culture, language, philosophy, religion, military and customs of ancient Kazak nationality. It is of great value in the study of folklore, folk literature and musicology. At present, there is no successor for Kazakh Dastan singers, and their living inheritance is facing crisis.