Huaer (Xinjiang Huaer)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Huaer (Xinjiang Huaer)

Applicant: Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Item No.: 51

Project No.: Ⅱ - 20

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: Traditional Music

Region: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Protection unit: Yanqi Hui Autonomous County Cultural Center

Introduction to Huaer (Xinjiang Huaer)

Applicant: Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Huaer is widely spread among the eight ethnic minorities of Hui, Han, Tu, Dongxiang, Bao'an, Sala, Tibetan and Yugu in Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang. It is a folk song form that uses local Chinese dialect to sing outside the village, commonly known as "Youth", "shanqu'er", "Huaqu", "Yequ" (as opposed to "Jiaqu", that is, "banquet song"). Hua'er is deeply loved by the broad masses of the people. Its contents are mostly praying for good weather, singing about working life and love between men and women. The singing of Hua'er is mainly carried out in daily life and "Hua'er meeting".

Xinjiang Huaer is a popular folk song of Hui, Han, Xibe and other ethnic people in Xinjiang. It is mainly distributed in counties (cities) of Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Urumqi City, Shawan County, Yining City, Huocheng County, Xinyuan county and Tekes County along Tianshan Mountain in Northern Xinjiang, Turpan City, Hami City, Balikun Kazakh Autonomous County in eastern Xinjiang and Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in southern Xinjiang.

Huaer is about 300 years old. Xinjiang Huaer originated from Hezhou Huaer and Taomin Huaer. It was introduced from Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and other places. Xinjiang's unique geographical environment, ethnic customs and language phonology gradually made it a form of folk songs with distinctive regional characteristics. Xinjiang Huaer absorbed the music elements of Uygur, Kazak and other ethnic groups. In addition to the common modes of Zheng, Shang and Yu, it also adopted a relatively complete minor mode and mode alternation. Compared with the "Huaer" in Guannei, the "Xinjiang Huaer" has less decorative sound, more standard 2 / 4 beat, and strong dancing.

Xinjiang Huaer can perform in fields, family yards, cultural squares, stage venues and other places. Its performances include solo, duet, chorus, performance, musical instrument accompaniment and so on. Banhu, erhu, Sanxian, bamboo flute, dulcimer and other accompaniment instruments are mainly used, as well as colorful folding fan, colorful silk scarf (belt) and other props. When singing, male singers of Hui nationality wear small white caps, white shirts, black shawls and boots; female singers wear scarves and dresses with white, green and pink colors.

There are as many as 23 tunes (commonly known as "Ling") of "Xinjiang Huaer". At present, more than 1000 Huaer tunes of the two periods before and after the founding of new China have been sorted out and published, including representative tracks such as "huahuagaimei", "thirty three stone buckwheat", "the moon comes up and lights up", "singer's love story" and "shuangtanmei". Huaer, as a grass root culture, singing about love and life, is a precious form of folk oral literature and art, which is deeply loved by the masses. So far, there are still a large number of Xinjiang flowers hidden in the folk, which need to be excavated and sorted out. At present, many outstanding folk flower singers are old. With their departure, Xinjiang flower may be lost gradually. Therefore, the rescue of this precious folk music heritage has become an urgent task, which needs to be completed.