Hezhen Yimakan storytelling: reviving an epic tradition on the brink of extinction

Editor's note:

The United Nations has officially designated 44 Chinese traditions as world cultural heritage. This series examines how each of them defines what it means to be Chinese.

Yimakan storytelling has returned to the banks of the Wusuli River as a vibrant thread in the daily life of the Hezhen ethnic group.

Once confined to the memories of a few elders, the epic art now pulses through school classrooms, village festivals and online platforms. It reconnects a tiny community to its ancestral voice.

On the banks of the Wusuli in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the rhythmic chants of Yimakan storytelling echo during the Wurigong Festival, a quadrennial celebration of Hezhen culture.

Performers wear fish-skin robes and feathered hats. Their voices rise and fall in rhythmic chants, telling stories of heroes, battles and spirits. Their words bring the old stories to life.

The crowd claps along, moving to the beat. Some wear elk-skin clothes, and others bright Hezhen robes.

The ancient storytelling art form, dating back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), weaves heroic tales, tribal history and spiritual beliefs through a blend of sung poetry and spoken word.

It was inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2011, and serves as the ethnic group's "living fossil."

With no written language, the Hezhen people — one of the smallest ethnic minorities in China, with just more than 5,000 members — have relied for centuries on Yimakan to pass down legends, rituals and knowledge of fishing and hunting.

Performers, called Yimakanqi mafa, improvise stories without instruments, alternating between melodic recitals and dramatic narration.

The tales often feature Morigen (heroes) battling demons or invaders, reflecting the Hezhen's resilience and connection to nature.

By the 2010s, only five elderly masters could perform full Yimakan epics, many chapters lost with the deaths of revered storytellers.

"Yimakan isn't just art. It's our identity," Wu Xuan, deputy director of Heilongjiang's Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, said in an interview with Heilongjiang Daily.

"Losing it would mean losing our history."

The Hezhen language, already endangered, faced further decline as younger generations migrated to cities, leaving fewer fluent speakers to sustain the tradition.

In response, China established a five-tier protection system, from national policies to village-level workshops. Seven Yimakan training centers now operate in Hezhen communities, offering weekly classes in both the art form and the native language.

At Tongjiang's Fifth Primary School, students of the "ethnic experimental class" learn Yimakan chants and folklore through illustrated textbooks and a student-led storytelling club.

The number of certified inheritors has surged from five in 2011 to 96 today, with more than 500 trainees attending online and offline sessions. Younger generations take the lead: 60 percent of certified inheritors are under 50, and the average age of trainees is around 40.

Hu Yi, a provincial-level Yimakan inheritor, draws inspiration from her grandfather, Wu Mingxin, a national-level master.

"My grandpa's performances sparked my interest and showed me the importance of preserving our culture," she said.

Hu now teaches at a heritage center in Jiamusi. She uses social media and visual tools to make the Hezhen language and folklore more accessible.

"My teacher developed a notation system to simplify pronunciation and grammar, which helps both students and teachers," she noted.

In December, Hu led a Yimakan and mouth harp workshop at a local school, where students in traditional dress took part with enthusiasm.

"It sounded like nature — birds and horses," said seventh-grader Ma Zhenming.

Yimakan's resurgence is also fueled by cultural tourism. During Heilongjiang's winter festivals, performers stage Yimakan storytelling at ice-and-snow attractions. The Wurigong Festival also draws Hezhen communities from Russia's Khabarovsk region.

In 2023, a broadcast drama, "The Yimakan of the Hezhen," chronicled three generations' struggle to preserve their heritage, blending archival recordings with original music.

Despite progress, hurdles remain. Fewer than 10 inheritors can perform the lengthy Da Chang (epic narratives), and most trainees master only the shorter Xiao Chang (lyrical pieces).

Linguists warn that without fluent Hezhen speakers, Yimakan's authenticity may fade. Yet, the Hezhen people's determination endures.

The young inheritor Hu said carrying the tradition forward is both her passion and responsibility.

"With a family legacy and academic background in minority cultural heritage, I will continue to find effective ways to pass on Yimakan," she insisted.