Tianshannet-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Wei Yonggui, Correspondent Luo Jie) news: Recently snow fell in a vast area of northern and southern Xinjiang. Hasimu Yahefu, a resident of Hami City, is both happy and sad. He is glad that the snow season is finally here, and it is time to kick off the Kok Meshrep event, but the sad thing is that the snowfall across urban and rural Yizhou is too thin to host the Kok Meshrep.

Why is snow so important? This has something to do with the Uygur people’s Kok Meshrep in Xinjiang, which was originated in Hami.

Hasimu Yahefu (R), an inheritor of Kok Meshrep in Hami recognized by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, explains the skills of musical instruments to his students, Nov. 24, 2023. (Photo by Luo Jie)

“Kok” means “young crops,” and “Meshrep” “party.” Kok Meshrep is a singing and dancing party held by the Uygur people in Hami after the fall harvest and the arrival of the snow in early winter, and a folk cultural event for local farmers to pray for a safe winter and celebrate the New Year. The complete Meshrep event includes a rich range of folklore and performing arts, such as music, dance, drama, folk art, acrobatics, oral literature, cuisines and games.

The 58-year-old Hasimu Yahefu is an inheritor of Kok Meshrep in Hami recognized by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. He was born in Gaodege Village, Wubao Town, Yizhou, and his father is an inheritor of the Senem dance of the Uygur people. He started to learn the Senem dance from his father at the age of 8, and at the age of 10 he was able to perform on stage. As a child, he often went to the Kok Meshrep event held in villages with his father, and gradually developed strong interest in it.

“In 1981, I was admitted to Hami Normal School to study music. After graduation, I became a teacher and continued to learn music from folk artists. Among them, there was an artist with superb skills, and was later recommended by Hami City and the Autonomous Region as the national-level inheritor of Kok Meshrep. He helped me a lot in improving my skills,” said Hasimu.

“Once the snow falls, it is time to hold the Kok Meshrep.” He said that a standard Kok Meshrep began with the “Snow Letter”. A villager would write a greeting on a blank piece of paper, wrap snow and a small gift in it, and bring the letter with him to another villager’s house. He then has to drop the letter somewhere in the house without the knowledge of the host, and then bid his farewell. If the host fails to notice the letter before he departs, he will have to host a Kok Meshrep; but if the guest is caught while dropping the letter, it is the guest who has to host the Kok Meshrep.”

“As the old saying goes, a seasonable snowfall promises a harvest year. The snow speaks the mind of Uygur people in Hami for a bumper harvest in the coming year. Nowadays, our life in Hami is getting better and better and we all like to host the Meshrep,” Hasimu said.

In 2008, Kok Meshrep was listed as national intangible cultural heritage, exciting news for many inheritors like Hasimu. With the government support of Hami City and the Autonomous Region, more content of Kok Meshrep has been identified and put under protection, and a number of folk artists including Hasimu have been named inheritors at city, region, and national levels.

“We are more than happy to see the Kok Meshrep is popular among the people, with more and more young people interested in it.” When he worked as a teacher at Sibao Middle School in Wubao Township, Hasimu taught the children Kok Meshrep for free in his spare time. In winter, the off season of farming, he would set up a stove in his yard and teach the farmers Kok Meshrep for free. “The villagers had much enthusiasm for learning it and took it seriously. Once some township officials came and found that many of the villagers had mastered the skills well. From then on, they often organized us to perform outside the village, and our performance was very popular.”

With the support and help of the cultural departments of Yizhou District and Hami City, Hasimu has cultivated more than 70 apprentices, of whom more than 30 have become municipal-level inheritors of Kok Meshrep, and many others have become singers and dancers in professional troupes and music teachers in primary and secondary schools.

On November 25, we had an interview with Huxidan Keyoumu, an apprentice of Hasimu, in Aletun Ancient Street, Huicheng Township, Yizhou. Under the training of Hasimu, he grew into an excellent dancer in Hami.

“When I was five years old, at a Meshrep, I was dancing and imitating what the adults were doing, and caught the attention of Mr. Hasimu who believed that I had a talent for dancing. From then on, I started to learn from him.” Huxidan said that under the guidance of Mr. Hasimu, he had a deeper understanding of Hami’s Kok Meshrep, and his dance skills had been continuously improved. He hoped that in the future, he could perform the Kok Meshrep on a bigger stage.

“I have been to Urumqi, Aksu, and Kashi, among other places, to perform. Many of my apprentices have performed in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Henan. These trips have broadened our horizons and taught us a lot,” said Hasimu. “Kok Meshrep is part of the excellent traditional Chinese culture. I will do my best to cultivate more inheritors of this intangible cultural heritage, so that Kok Meshrep can be understood and liked by more people.”

The Cultural Center of Yizhou District, Hami City, is responsible for the protection of Kok Meshrep. According to Zhang Yanli, head of the inheritance project, Hami and Yizhou District hold training courses for the inheritors of Kok Meshrep every year, and some of its songs and dances are promoted and performed outside Hami, which are loved by audiences inside and outside Xinjiang.