Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Wang Xinhong) news: On July 9, 2024, Mamatrexat Ababakri wore a white apron, gently polished the formed Rawap with abrasive paper in his hand at a musical instrument production store located on Wusitangboyi Street in the ancient city of Kashi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Photo shows Mamatrexat Ababakri makes Rawap at a musical instrument production store located on Wusitangboyi Street in the ancient city of Kashi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Wang Xinhong)

At the age of 54,Mamatrexat Ababakri is a representative inheritor of Uygur musical instrument making skills in Xinjiang intangible cultural heritage project. His family has been producing musical instruments for over 100 years, and he is the fifth-generation inheritor of this craft.

Looking around Mamatrexat's instrument store, you will find that although the store is not large, there are many finished instruments hanging on the walls, such as Rawap, Dutar, Tambur. Coupled with the instruments displayed on the beams and the middle booth, it is like a small instrument museum. Every instrument in the store is handmade, so their styles, colors, and materials are all different, each of them has its own characteristics.

Tourists who enter the store, whether they understand musical instruments or not, will gasp in admiration. “It is so exquisite and beautiful that I want take all of them away, "said Mr. Guo, a tourist from China’s Shenzhen.

Mamatrexat played the Rawap. The pleasant sound of the instrument won rounds of applause from tourists.

Photo shows He Yunfeng exchanges the production skills of minority musical instruments with Mamatrexat Ababakri. (Photo offered by Mamatrexat Ababakri)

He has been learning instrument-making from his elders since childhood, and has been able to make dozens of musical instruments for over 40 years now. He said that selecting materials for musical instruments is very important, and he personally selects the materials for each instrument in the store, using different woods to make different types of musical instruments.

Both he and his grandfather have made Rawap for film and TV play, which also brought more orders to his instrument store. Now, song and dance troupes in Kashi, Hotan, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture and other places often buy musical instruments from him, and performance groups from some Central Asian countries also order the instruments he makes.

In 2015, after the ancient city of Kashi was listed as a 5A level tourist attraction, Mamatrexat, who lives here, also enjoyed the dividends of tourism. Last year, an Italian tourist made a promise to come back to the ancient city this year because she liked the musical instruments he made. "She said my musical instruments stole her heart!"

32 years ago, He Yunfeng met Mamatrexat in Kashi. Last year, after seeing the ethnic musical instrument posted by Mamatrexat's son online, he went to the ancient city of Kashi to find him and exchange ideas with him on musical instrument making skills.

Photo shows He Yunfeng takes photo with Mamatrexat Ababakri and his son. (Photo offered by Mamatrexat Ababakri)

“I will do my best to inherit and promote the handmade ethnic musical instruments," Mamatrexat said, who has many apprentices. Now, most of his apprentices are inheriting the musical instrument making skills in various places. He cannot disappoint people and must continue to pass on this skill.

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