Imakan of Hezhe Nationality

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: imakan of Hezhe Nationality

Declaration area or unit: Heilongjiang Province

Project No.: 278

Project No.: V - 42

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: quyi

Region: Heilongjiang Province

Type: new item

Declaration area or unit: Heilongjiang Province

Protection unit: Heilongjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center

Brief introduction to imakan of Hezhe Nationality

Declaration area or unit: Heilongjiang Province

Yimakan is a form of Quyi storytelling of Hezhe nationality, which is popular in Hezhe inhabited areas in Heilongjiang Province. According to the available information, it had been formed at the latest in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.

Imakan's performance form is a combination of one-man rap and oral narration, which is mainly based on speaking, supplemented by singing, without musical instrument accompaniment. The traditional programs are long, medium and short, and the representative works are shierdalumurigen, mangemumurigen, muzhulin murigen, yingtuge galloping to the moon, yareguo, xireguo, etc.

Imakan's program types and performance styles can be divided into "big singing" and "small singing". "Da Chang" is "Yimakan Da Chang", which refers to the performance based on speaking, focusing on and excelling in the performance of heroic and legendary content, such as various "morigen (hero)" stories and the creation legend of Hezhe people; "Xiao Chang" is "Yimakan Xiao Chang", which refers to the performance based on singing, focusing on and excelling in the performance of lyrical content of short programs.

Yimakan's singing music has distinct national characteristics. Due to the different popular places and artists, the singing tunes used are also different. The common tunes are [henna tune], [Heller tune], [Susu tune], [happy tune], [sad tune] and [Xiajiang fishing tune].

Yimakan is an indispensable art category and a way of entertainment and aesthetic appreciation in the life of Hezhe people. It also has the function of "textbook" of inheriting the national history and culture, with unique value and great significance.