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October 25, 2006
That Ol' Hotan Rhythm
Yesterday being the Muslim festival of Roza Heyt (known as Eid elsewhere), I decided to take a walk through the Uyghur marketplace here in Korla to see if anything intersting was going on. Unfortunately, I found out that I'd missed a meshrep in the morning. But still, there were more people out on the street than one usually finds on a Tuesday night... eating kebabs, playing pool, listening to music, and generally relaxing after a month-long fast.
I stopped in at my usual Uyghur VCD shop, where I noticed a somewhat frenzied crowd gathered around a cardboard box. So, I asked the shopkeeper what was going on:
Me: What's going on here?
Him: A new VCD just arrived from Hotan! It's the kind of traditional dutar music that farmers like.
Me: Really? That must be good then.
Him: Yeah, and it's only ten yuan. That's why everyone is buying.
Not wanting to be left out of this hysterical buying frenzy, I plunked down Y10 and ran home with my newly acquired treasure in the breast pocket of my windbreaker.
These two videos by Dolkun Omer are much more traditional than what I usually feature, so I hope you enjoy. Here then, are the sounds that have been rockin' farmers across Xinjiang — from Hotan to Gulja, from Kasghar to Qarkilik — these past few post-Ramadan days:
Happy Roza Heyt to all the Uyghurs out there!
posted October 25, 2006 at 04:43 PM unofficial Xinjiang time | HaoHao This!
Comments
It is indeed more traditional and i really enjoyed it! thank you.
Posted by: philou at October 25, 2006 08:22 PM
Mike,
I'm set to go to Beijing for two weeks in the middle of November. Leaving the states on 11/11 and come back on 11/25. I'll leave you messages again once I get to Beijing. Not sure how your schedule is going to be during those two weeks, but I'd love to come visit if possible.
Posted by: Carol Chan at October 27, 2006 04:10 AM
Michael, sorry to hijack this thread but since you closed the one about shooting on Tibetans that I feel I have some to offer.
1)As we know, there was long time before this shooting happen. From the vedio you showed, looks like the shots was taken on the lead person and the last person on the envoy. So the target is very clear. I guess if soldiers want to kill, it is impossible those in the middle will get away.
2)Is any possible the intention to just take out "snakeheads"? Here the snakehead not define as morally good or bad, but just the one who orginazed for illegal crossing?
3)Feel especially sorry for those underage kids in the group. Without possible shoting from soldiers, the journey is already a dangerous task for kids. Why those people still try to get kids out in such way?
4) Is any possible the Western countries can just give visas for whoever want to come out? As I know, Chinese authority is not too tough to NOT let people come out. Whoever wants to out, should NOT go the way showed on vedio regardless if there are soldiers there. Natural conditions are already too tough.
5) We all know that in US, if you are from Cuba, you are "freedom seeker", but if you are from Mexico, you are illegal alien. Some concept also applies to Tibetan-Chinese and other-Chinese. How about just give people who want to go out VISAS?
6) I normally is tired out two reactions.
Posted by: Sha at October 27, 2006 06:43 AM
Cool!
I wish that people in east China liked this type of music more. It's be nice to have it there in DVD and CD format.
Posted by: Ed at October 28, 2006 10:40 PM