RED BUDS BLOSSOM
Inner Mongolia’s Ulan Muqir troupes seek to preserve traditional folk music. Chen Nan reports in Guangzhou.
When Hasieerdeni thinks of his childhood, the 32-year-old man who was born in a nomadic family and grew up on the grasslands in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, says he always recalls the performances by Ordos Otog Banner Ulan Muqir, a local singing and dancing troupe.
“Every summer, I sat on the grasslands along with my family and many other people living nearby to watch their performances. When the singers from the troupe performed folk songs in the technique of khoomei (“throat singing”), the sound was so deep that it almost touched my bones,” Hasieerdeni, whose name means “valuable jade” in Mongolian, says in Guangzhou.
“They performed for days in our village, from sunrise to sunset, and I dreamed of becoming like them one day.”
Decades later, Hasieerdeni has fulfilled his dream. He now plays the morin khuur (horse-head fiddle) and sings using the technique of khoomei.
He joined the Ordos Otog Banner Ulan Muqir in 2012 after graduating from the National University of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar.
He performed with another eight artists from the troupe at the Guangzhou Opera House on Dec 12. The song he performed is called Chinese Zodiac, which is based on a renowned Ordos folk song of the same title. The song is about a 12-year cycle of animals representing the Chinese zodiac.
Ulan Muqir, meaning “red bud” in Mongolian, is a rare type of cultural troupe from Inner Mongolia.
Its small groups of singers, dancers and instrument players tour rural areas and travel afar to perform free shows for farmers and herders.
The troupes were first founded in 1959 as one of the earliest cultural groups of Inner Mongolia.
In a letter dated Nov 21, President Xi Jinping wrote to a troupe calling on its members to preserve the tradition of Ulan Muqir and promote artistic innovation.
“In the new era, I hope you can carry forward the fine tradition of Ulan Muqir, put down roots and serve the herdsmen,” Xi wrote in the letter.
The Ordos Otog Banner Ulan Muqir troupe
The Ulan Muqir troupe, which Xi wrote to, is called Sunite Right Banner Ulan Muqir, the first Ulan Muqir troupe founded in 1957, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
Now, there are 75 Ulan Muqir troupes in Inner Mongolia, bringing 7,000 performances to audiences of the region each year.
According to Zeng Han, the director of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television Administration of Ordos, there are six Ulan Muqir troupes in Ordos today, with each troupe staging at least 100 performances every year. Due to the weather condition, the troupes usually tour villages of Inner Mongolia in the summer.
“Because the size of an Ulan Muqir troupe is small, each artist is versatile. They sing, dance and play instruments. With the goal of serving the people living in remote areas, they also help herders do housework and even offer musical training to children,” says Zeng, adding that government offers a subsidy of 2,000 to 5,000 yuan ($300757) for each show.
“In the past, members of Ulan Muqir troupes toured around by riding horses and the herders offered them accommodation.”
Ren Jianshe, the deputy director of the Ordos Otog Banner Ulan Muqir troupe, says: “Being a member of the Ulan Muqir troupe is a great honor. For people of Inner Mongolia, Ulan Muqir symbolizes celebrations.”
Ren, 40, was born in Inner Mongolia’s Chifeng city and joined the troupe in 2004. Ren’s father, who plays sihu (four-stringed fiddle), introduced him to music as a child.
Like Hasieerdeni, Ren was a big fan of the Ulan Muqir troupes in his childhood.
“When I was a child, we didn’t have contemporary entertainment like TV or cinema. The shows brought by Ulan Muqir troupes were my favorites,” Ren says. “Despite long and bumpy road trips, the troupes visited us every summer.”
Ulan Muqir troupes mostly perform outdoors and the audience joins in during the shows.
“With the grasslands, blue skies and white clouds, we sing and dance together,” Ren says.
Though the spirit of Ulan Muqir has been preserved by the troupes despite changes in modern China, such artists have tried to update their performances to cater to the younger generation.
Ren says his troupe has the tradition of training young performers to carry on the legacy.
As a core member of his troupe, Hasieerdeni composes based on local folk songs and mixes contemporary music elements to entertain audiences of all ages.
“I used to be an indie musician before I joined the troupe. Our ancestors left us a large number of folk songs — a great treasure and the source of my inspiration,” he says.
With the grasslands, blue skies and white clouds, we sing and dance together.”
Ren Jianshe,