Wulige'er story-telling

(chinaculture.org)

Updated: 2013-12-18

Year: 2006

Sort: Quyi

Area: Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin Province

Serial No.: Ⅴ-40

Declarer: Zhalute Banner\ Ke'erqin Youyi mid-Banner, Inner Mongolia. Fuxin Mongolia Autonomous County,Liaoning Province. Qianguo'erluosi Mongolia Autonomous County, Jinlin Province.

Wulige'er in Mongolian means 'story telling'. It was formed in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and was popularr in the compact communities of the Mongolia ethnic group in Inner Mongolia and its neighboring provinces.

Wulige'er is performed in Mongolian and has four main branches; Yabagan Wulige'er or Hurui Wulige'er (i.e. story-telling without musical accompaniment), Chaoren Wulige'er (i.e. story-tellling with the accompaniment of an ancient stringed instrument named Chao'er), and Huren Wulige'er (i.e. story-tellling with the accompaniment of a four-stringed instrument named Sihu). Story-telling with musical accompaniment is usually performed by one person.

There is a variety of vocal music and those with distinct functional characteristics include the Fighting Melody, Seeking for Life Mate Melody, Satirizing Melody, Landscape Melody, Hurry on the Journey Melody, and Going to Imperial Court Meeting Melody.

The repertoire of Wulige'er is based on folk stories, works of the 'lettermen' or actors, folk epic and narrative songs, real-life stories, and the recomposing of its counterpart of Han Chinese. The long Wulige'er repertoire is the most attractive one.

Different regions also have unique Wulige'er. For example, in the Ke'erqin Grassland, the Huren Wulige'er is prevalent. In the Fuxin Mongolia Autonomous County, Liaoning Province, locals prefer to adopt and recompose stories of Han Chinese, and created new art forms such as the Fuxin Mongolia Opera.

For most Mongolians, Wulige'er is not only a major part of their cultural life, but also an important way to gain knowledge. Since the 1980s, many renowned artists passed away with few new artists to take their places. Nowadays people have more options for entertainment. As a result, the practice of Wulige'er is fading.