| Description |
Meshrep, which in modern Uygur language means ‘get-together’ or ‘venue,’ is the developed version of the Uygur sacrificial offerings, blessings and ceremonial events of antiquity. Early records of Meshrep appear in the Chinese source The Biography of Gao Che in the Book of Wei (553 AD) and in the Arabic classic The Grand Dictionary of Turkic Language (1073 AD).
The Meshrep is an organized folkloric event that follows certain procedures and is often held in a spacious outdoor venue on seasonal and traditional holidays, or according to the needs of the people’s life and work.
There are mainly three types of participants: a) the host of Meshrep, viz, the yigetbixi who, elected by the local people, has to preside over the rituals, ballads and dances, games, mock court proceedings and other events taking place in the Meshrep; usually he is aided by several assistants that ensure the orderly progress of the activities; b) the folk artists invited to perform and c) the general public. The event is normally attended by hundreds of people and all of them participate in the activities.
Meshrep contains a rich collection of traditions. A complete Meshrep event includes performances like the Uygur muqam, folk songs and dances, story-singing and drama, as well as other activities such as oral literature, tournaments and games, which people enjoy and actively take part in. Meshrep has both relation and difference with Uygur muqam. Usually, some songs and dance music from it will be sung, played in Meshrep event, for the public to enjoy it and dance by self-entertainment with the rhythm of the songs and dance music. In the Uygur “twelve muqam”, each set of muqam has such songs and dance music in its third part, therefore this part is also called “Meshrep”. Uygur muqam is the large comprehensive art form integrating song, dance and entertainment, while Meshrep is just one of the cultural space of Uygur Muqam.
Meshrep is rather like a big stage for various arts or a carnival party, with the public freely participating in various activities, who are not only auditors, also players, even the participants and judge of the moral forum; there is no boundary between the spectator seats and the stage, while Uygur muqam artists are just a small portion of the mass participants of Meshrep. In conclusion, Uygur muqam is the art for the public to enjoy, while Meshrep is the important space accommodating various traditional cultural expression forms. Therefore, we can say that Meshrep is not only an important ‘moral forum’ and ‘stage’ for folk artists of various kind to display their brilliant skills, but also a ‘court’ where the host mediates conflicts and ensure the preservation of moral standards. Moreover, it is a ‘classroom’ where people learn about their traditional customs, nature, and different experience of economic production. It is a ‘playground’
where to entertain body and soul. Meshrep is the most important cultural venue carrier of Uygur traditions.
There are dozen varieties of Meshrep known so far, this is evidence of the diversity of its social and cultural functions. For example: the ‘Kok (Young crops) Meshrep’ is held in Springtime; the ‘Huoxalik (Festivity) Meshrep’ takes place at weddings, adulthood rites, harvest and festivals; the ‘Namakul (Apology) Meshrep’ is held to mediate conflicts or settle disputes; the ‘Keiyet (Disciplinary) Meshrep’ is performed with the aim of criticizing immoral behaviours or educating the public; the ‘Dolan Meshrep’ is meant to show admiration for the hunting life and ravery of the ancestors; and the ‘Ketaphan (storytelling) Meshrep’ serves as a sort of review of literature.
Thus, the word put in front of ‘Meshrep’ indicates the social and cultural function it is meant to perform.
Meshrep is mainly transmitted and inherited by the hosts who know well its rules, sequence and cultural connotation, and by the virtuoso folk artists who frequently participate in Meshrep. They learn the tradition either from older hosts and skilled folk artists, or by frequently attending the Meshrep events. They become hosts of the Meshrep only after obtaining the appreciation and recognition of the local masses. At the same time, the transmission of Meshrep cannot dispense with the majority of Uygur people who participate in its actual practice.
Being a cultural space for the practice of Uygur people’s traditions, Meshrep has already become a part of their culture and folk customs. It provides the Uygur people with abundant knowledge about their traditions and sustains their cultural identity. Hence, it is considered one of the most important cultural heritages of the Uygur nation.
To rescue and safeguard Meshrep not only meets the demands for mutual respect among communities, groups and individuals, but it also answers to the need for improving its viabilityand achieving its sustainable development. |
| Social and cultural significance |
Meshrep, which in modern Uygur language means ‘get-together’ or ‘venue,’ is the developed version of the Uygur sacrificial offerings, blessings and ceremonial events of antiquity. Early records of Meshrep appear in the Chinese source The Biography of Gao Che in the Book of Wei (553 AD) and in the Arabic classic The Grand Dictionary of Turkic Language (1073 AD).
The Meshrep is an organized folkloric event that follows certain procedures and is often held in a spacious outdoor venue on seasonal and traditional holidays, or according to the needs of the people’s life and work.
Meshrep contains a rich collection of traditions. A complete Meshrep event includes performances like the Uygur muqam, folk songs and dances, story-singing and drama, as well as other activities such as oral literature, tournaments and games, which people enjoy and actively take part in.
Meshrep is like a big stage for various arts or a carnival party, with the public freely participating in various activities, who are not only auditors, also players, even the participants and judge of the moral forum; there is no boundary between the spectator seats and the stage.
Meshrep is the important space accommodating various traditional cultural expression forms.
It is not only an important ‘moral forum’ and ‘stage’ for folk artists of various kind to display their brilliant skills, but also a ‘court’ where the host mediates conflicts and ensure the preservation of moral standards. Moreover, it is a ‘classroom’ where people learn about their traditional customs, nature, and different experience of economic production. It is a ‘playground’ where to entertain body and soul. Meshrep is the most important cultural venue carrier of Uygur traditions.
There are dozen varieties of Meshrep known so far, this is evidence of the diversity of its social and cultural functions. For example: the ‘Kok (Young crops) Meshrep’ is held in Springtime; the ‘Huoxalik (Festivity) Meshrep’ takes place at weddings, adulthood rites, harvest and festivals; the ‘Namakul (Apology) Meshrep’ is held to mediate conflicts or settle disputes; the ‘Keiyet (Disciplinary) Meshrep’ is performed with the aim of criticizing immoral behaviours or educating the public; the ‘Dolan Meshrep’ is meant to show admiration for the hunting life and bravery of the ancestors; and the ‘Ketaphan (storytelling) Meshrep’ serves as a sort of review of literature.
Thus, the word put in front of ‘Meshrep’ indicates the social and cultural function it is meant to perform.
Being a cultural space for the practice of Uygur people’s traditions, Meshrep has already become a part of their culture and folk customs. It provides the Uygur people with abundant knowledge about their traditions and sustains their cultural identity. Hence, it is considered one of the most important cultural heritages of the Uygur nation. |
| Transmission method |
Meshrep of various forms is a traditional activity belonging to more than nine million Uygurs and that thirty years ago was seen more frequently in Xinjiang. There are various types and functions of Meshrep performances which, besides traditional festivals and wedding ceremonies, are determined by needs of life and economy such as seasonal events, moral education and so on.
Meshrep takes place at least once every month.
There are mainly three types of participants: a) the host of Meshrep, viz, the yigetbixi who, elected by the local people, has to preside over the rituals, ballads and dances, games, mock court proceedings and other events taking place in the Meshrep; usually he is aided by several assistants that ensure the orderly progress of the activities; b) the folk artists invited to perform and c) the general public. The event is normally attended by hundreds of people and all of them participate in the activities.
Meshrep is mainly transmitted and inherited by the hosts who know well its rules, sequence and cultural connotation, and by the virtuoso folk artists who frequently participate in Meshrep. They learn the tradition either from older hosts and skilled folk artists, or by frequently attending the Meshrep events. They become hosts of the Meshrep only after obtaining the appreciation and recognition of the local masses. At the same time, the transmission of Meshrep cannot dispense with the majority of Uygur people who participate in its actual practice.
A relatively complete Meshrep is spontaneously organized by the people according to customs and traditional principles transmitted by generations. The format of a performance is decided on the basis of the specific purpose intended. Usually, after meticulous preparation, the people from a village or a community belonging to this ethnic group (the number may vary, from dozen to hundreds people), invite each other or announce the event to which villagers freely take part. At the venue of the celebration, attendees temporarily select together a person of high moral standard who will act as host, and preside over and manage all aspects of the Meshrep.
In recent times, the Meshrep remains alive mostly among the villages of Xinjiang, in the districts where the about 5-million Uygurs live.
Even though local governments, as well as NGOs and the general public have taken appropriate safeguarding measures, Meshrep is still facing severe threats and great risks.
Firstly, the speed of urbanization and modernization is changing people’s modes of economic production and lifestyle. The number of Meshrep performances organized spontaneously by the Uygur has diminished, while their frequency has also decreased, turning it into an occasional event or a performance taking place once every few months.
Secondly, some brilliant Meshrep hosts and folk artists, such as Yolwas Yimin (1924-2003) of Kashgar city, Kasim Aziz (1936-2006) of Turpan city and Abudu Razak (1938-2008) of Kucha county, have passed away, while many others are aging. In other words, very few outstanding folk artists able to host a Meshrep according to traditional conventions remain. This situation has led to changes in the cultural morphology and content of this heritage whose version now appears incomplete. Especially in the urban districts, the practice of Meshrep no more comprises singing of maqam, juggling, games and similar rich numbers; what instead remains is mainly self-entertaining dances.
Thirdly, the most important cultural functions of this heritage within society have been greatly reduced and weakened. Many Meshrep devised to produce a special function are now hardly seen.
Fourth, young people are much more attracted by new fashions, while less and less interested in taking part in the practice of traditional culture.
Meshrep is gradually losing its traditional appearance and social functions. The vitality of this heritage is weakening, so much so that his survival and sustainability are now under serious threat.
In villages closer to the cities, less often complete Meshrep performances can be seen Especially in the urban communities, changes in the living environment and pace of life, as well as the lack of hosts have brought about variations in the practice of this element. Only the smaller performance in a family or friend get-together or wedding could be seen, which has been already simplified to purely singing and dancing of self entertainment, and lost the traditions, rich content, and the unique cultural values of a complete Meshrep.
Meshrep’s outstanding hosts and folk artists do not find replacement since young people are more attracted to the latest fashions and progressively distancing themselves from tradition.
As a result, this heritage chain of transmission is facing the great risk of being broken. |
| Community |
Meshrep is found among the Uygur people largely concentrated in the Districts, AutonomousnPrefectures and Counties of China’s Xinjiang Province. It is an outstanding symbol of the Uygurnpeople’s cultural identity, and is regarded as the most important part of the Uygur culturalnheritage.
The transmitters of the element, which belongs to the whole of the Uygur people, includenorganizers (hosts) known as the yigetbixis elected by the local Uygur people, as well as the folknartists that are gifted with special skills for various Meshrep activities. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2010 |
