Salar,
a small ethnic group in northwest China, has, despite the lack of a
written language, successfully preserved its unique ethnic culture
with persistent government support and protection.
A
dance drama recording the history of the Salar ethnic group,
entitled "The Camel wellspring", was recently staged in Qinghai
Province, one of the two major Salar population centers in
China.
According to this tragic legendary drama, the ancestors of the
Salar group left their homeland in central Asia in the 13th century
with a white camel laden with a Koran to escape the intolerance of
the local lords. Upon arrival in Xunhua County in Qinghai Province,
after a long and arduous journey, the white camel disappeared,
reappearing the next day in the form of a wellspring. The Salar
named the wellspring after the camel and settled in the county.
Han Fucai, director of the troupe, said this dance drama dates back
more than 800 years. It has been performed at wedding ceremonies
for hundreds of years to remind young people of the Salar.
"However, this is the only Salar dance known to modern-day Salar.
Many ethnic performances have been lost due to the lack of
successors," he said.
The Salar ethnic group, one of 56 ethnic groups in China,
immigrated to northwest China's Qinghai and Gansu provinces from
central Asia during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Xunhua County,
the only Salar-populated Autonomous County in China, is home to
70,000 Salar people, accounting for 90 percent of the total Salar
population in China.
To
protect the unique Salar culture from extinction, the Qinghai
provincial government has set up a Salar Cultural Society, repaired
Salar-style buildings, trained a series of experts on folk culture
and held regular Salar cultural festivals.
Apart from the "Camel wellspring", a dozen Salar dance dramas are
being adapted and will soon be performed on stage. Local troupes
have sent some Salar players to Beijing to learn Salar dance.
Han Zhanxiang, an authority on Salar cultural research, said,
"Salar culture is part of rich Chinese culture. It should not be
lost in the course of development. On the contrary, it should shine
more brightly. Ethnic culture belongs to the world."
With the government support, Han has compiled books on Salar
literary and folk customs totaling 1.1 million Chinese characters.
He also works with two of his students to collect Salar folk
stories from among the Salar people.
Under Han's guidance, a Salar musician learned to play a
traditional Salar instrument popular among Salar residents in
ancient times.
The inch-long mouth organ, made of copper and silver, is considered
the smallest folk music instrument in China. It got its name,
"pillow organ", from the custom of traditional arranged
marriages.
According to the custom, the music is played by the bride on her
wedding night to express her love for her husband, because,
traditionally, this was the first meeting, and the bride was too
shy to utter a word.
When it was time to retire, the bride played the mouth organ,
producing melodious and vibrant sounds. The music was so faint that
the husband could hear it only if he slept on the same pillow with
his bride.
"The mouth organ is the gem of Salar culture. It must be handed
down through the ages," said Han Fucai, adding his troupe has
trained a dozen mouth organ players.
Meanwhile, mouth organs are on sale at many shops in Xunhua County
as a symbol of traditional Salar culture.
(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2003)