Muqam transmission in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region: negotiating artistic individuality in present-day Uyghur muqam performance practices

Abstract

The Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang, also known as the Art of Chinese Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam (Ch. 中国新 疆维吾尔木卡姆艺术), was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity in 2008, representing a dynamic interplay between tradition and contemporary influences. This paper examines the evolving dynamics of present-day Uyghur muqam transmission, focusing on the negotiation of artistic individuality in contemporary performance practices. Central to this discussion is the Uyghur concept of puraq (lit. scent/flavour), a term that describes the distinctive ornamentation and stylistic nuances in Uyghur music, yet remains underexplored in academic discourses both in China and the West. Drawing on ethnomusicological fieldwork conducted in Xinjiang in 2021 (Li, 2022), this research integrates insights from interviews with proficient muqam performers and scholars, offering a detailed analysis of how puraq manifests and is refined across different performance contexts, encompassing both vocal and instrumental practices. The study further explores the interdisciplinary connotations of puraq between music and linguistics, particularly highlighting the role of shëwe (En. vernacular accent) and its influence on the stylistic interpretation of the Uyghur muqam. The findings reveal that the multifaceted term of puraq is a crucial element in sustaining the living tradition of the Uyghur muqam, serving as a point of convergence for cultural continuity and transformation. By situating the discussion within the broader framework of the active transmission of ICH (Ch. 非遗活化传承), the study contributes to ongoing debates concerning the preservation of cultural heritage. It illuminates the ways in which authenticity and adaptation interact in a tradition deeply rooted in the historical cultural exchanges along the Silk Road, offering new perspectives on the evolving role of the Uyghur muqam in the contemporary cultural landscape of modern-day China.

Keywords

• applied ethnomusicology
• China
• intangible cultural heritage preservation
• puraq (flavour)
• Uyghur muqam transmission

Supporting Institution

King’s College London

Project Number

MRSU-21/22-26580

Ethical Statement

This study has been prepared in accordance with scientific research ethical guidelines and does not require approval from an ethics committee. This article is produced from my own Bachelor’s dissertation submitted to King’s College London.

Thanks

This paper is grounded on more than six months of intermittent ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwestern China. First and foremost, I dedicate this work to my parents for their unconditional trust and financial support throughout my field visits to Xinjiang. Thank you so much for recognizing my efforts to integrate with an ethnic group whose language, cultural practices, and customs are so disparate from ours—your understanding of my positionality as a researcher means the world to me. I am deeply indebted to my Bachelor’s advisors at the Department of Music at King’s College London, Dr. Frederick Moehn and Andy Fry, whose challenging questions prompted me to reconsider the foreground and background topics of this paper, and to my personal tutor, Dr. Flora Willson. My deepest thanks go to YPA, ANA, TIY, RMI, MTT, SGT, TNT, GLN, and many other friends and masters of the Uyghur muqam in Yarkand County. Without you, I would never have had the courage to learn the Uyghur muqam, let alone engaging with the muqam performance scenes in Yarkand. My heartfelt gratitude also goes to MTA, BTM, AMA, WGJ, WZX, STA, TRQ, TRR, TRE, MLY, JLK, TGD, PTD, ANR, DPE, SQG, KMS, and many other friends and colleagues in Ürümchi. Without you, I would never have realised the importance of comparing institutionalised performance practices with those of rural, grassroot practitioners. You provided me with new perspectives for researching the Uyghur muqam. My special thanks go to ZNM, OMI, and WGX, with whom I formed the fieldwork team. Without any of you, my fieldwork would not have been completed as smoothly as it was. To each one of you, my dearest friends, I now call Xinjiang my second hometown.

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