A work note of a cadre aiding Xinjiang

Wuqia County, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, built with the aid of Changzhou, is the "place where the last ray of sunshine falls" of the motherland, which is located in the westernmost part of the motherland, with magnificent natural scenery and profound cultural heritage, and is a bright pearl embedded in the Pamir Plateau.

In 2023, I came here as the leader of the 11th batch of Changzhou City's counterpart support to the front working group of Wuqia County, Xinjiang. When I flew over 5,060 kilometers and set foot on this land for the first time from the coast of the East China Sea and the Yangtze River, I was attracted by the magnificent scenery here. As far as the eye can see, the Tianshan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains converge here, the Gobi Snow Peaks and the brilliant sunset complement each other, and the unique Danxia landform stretches for thousands of miles, which makes me deeply sigh at the magic of nature.

In addition to the natural scenery, I was also deeply impressed by the patriotic feelings of the people of all ethnic groups in Wuqia County, the unique culture and customs, clothing and food culture of the Kirgiz people. It is the bounden duty of me and all the cadres to fully excavate and make good use of the unique historical and cultural resources here and integrate the cultural revitalization of Xinjiang into the whole process of counterpart aid to Xinjiang.

Singing the heroic epic "Manas"

After we walked through the Pamir Plateau, the "West Pole of China", after we visited the white felt house and listened to the magnificent epic that has been sung for thousands of years, we realized that the true value of Wucha lies in its profound cultural heritage. The world-class intangible cultural heritage, the heroic epic "Manas" of the Kyrgyz people, is the most shining treasure. This epic with a history of more than 1,000 years, due to the unique ecological environment and historical reasons, has been passed down by word of mouth, and is one of the three major ethnic minority epics in China and enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad. In 2022, during General Secretary Xi Jinping's visit to Xinjiang, he came to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum to watch the "Manas" rap display, and had a cordial conversation with the inheritors of the intangible cultural heritage of "Manas", praising their performances as very infectious. Unfortunately, due to many reasons, the cultural heritage represented by Manas is facing many problems such as not being widely disseminated, not being well known by the public, and not being disseminated in many ways, which makes me think about how to make the culture of Ucha visible and known to more people. How can we strengthen the exchanges, exchanges and integration between Xinjiang and the people of all ethnic groups in the interior through the dissemination of intangible cultural heritage, so as to realize cultural sharing and mutual learning?

After repeated discussions and full demonstrations with colleagues in the group, we put the focus of implementing the "cultural rejuvenation of Xinjiang" and promoting the "going out" of Xinjiang's excellent culture on the promotion and publicity of "Manas". With the joint efforts of everyone, the national song and dance drama "The Wedding of Hero Manas" carefully created and choreographed by the Wucha County Song and Dance Troupe will be staged on the stage of Changzhou from the Pamir Plateau in September 2023. The audience's response exceeded our expectations, and the scene was full, with more than 41,700 views of the online live broadcast, which deeply broadened the cultural and tourism exchanges between Changwu and Wuhan. Wucha County Song and Dance Troupe actor Nurmamat · Matayi told me that as a doll in southern Xinjiang and a balang (young man) in the mountains, this is the first time he has walked out of Wucha County in more than a decade. He is very proud to be able to bring the national culture of Kirgiz to the people of Changzhou. Alia · Aniwal, director of the Wucha County Cultural and Tourism Bureau, who led the team to Changzhou to report the performance, said: "I hope to promote the protection and inheritance of the "Manas" rap, promote the "Manas" epic culture to cross geographical boundaries, go to a bigger stage, and let more people love my hometown and love the beautiful Xinjiang." ”

On May 14, 2024, Xinjiang Shihezi University held the country's first "Manas" rap inheritance workshop, imparting rich knowledge and professional skills to students. Student Aidari · Adibayi said happily: "I can now sing three chapters of Manas. "This workshop has improved the skill level of rap inheritors, and also promoted the inheritance and innovation of Wucha's intangible cultural heritage. At the closing ceremony, the Wuqia County Song and Dance Troupe, under the leadership of the Changzhou Working Group, performed "The Wedding of the Hero Manas" as a report. College students have always been picky about cultural products, but the one-hour performance was met with applause and rave reviews. The comrades who participated in the performance were even more passionate and devoted, and they interacted with each other on and off the field, and the atmosphere was very warm.

Build a "Cultural Aid Bridge to Xinjiang"

With the "Manas" series of cultural products going farther and farther, with the help of the Changzhou working group, Wuqia County not only attaches importance to "poetry", but also attaches importance to the "distance" with higher participation and stronger economic drive, and actively explores various cultural and tourism activities suitable for its own development to meet the cultural tourism needs of people of all ethnic groups. With the holding of the first "West Pole Xiaguang Festival" and the second "West Pole Xiaguang Festival Tourism Season" series of activities in Kezhou, the "West Pole" brand has continued to develop, and I have witnessed more and more tourists coming to Wuqia County to "check in" the West Pole coordinates and experience the local folk culture. Located in the Wuqia County Culture and Art Center, the "Qiubai Library" Wucha Pavilion, which was carefully built by the Changzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the Changzhou Wucha Aid Working Group, is full of various books to meet the needs of readers of different levels and ages. In my spare time, I always like to walk into this library full of characteristics and immerse myself in the sea of books with the local cadres and people. These activities have enriched the spiritual and cultural life of local residents, and also built a bridge for the two places to cultivate friendship and enhance exchanges, so that Changzhou and Wucha are more closely linked.

In order to better infiltrate people's hearts with culture and let young people fully perceive the sense of community of the Chinese nation, in the summer of 2023, the "Red Pomegranate" summer camp held by the Changzhou Working Group will take culture as the pulse and red as the soul, and build a platform for young people in Changzhou and Ukraine to broaden their horizons, enrich their experience and harvest friendship. In the process of visiting Changzhou cultural landmarks such as Qingguo Lane, Nanshi River, Grand Canal Memory Museum, Qu Qiubai Memorial Hall, etc., the campers not only listened to the stories of Jiangnan celebrities, but also felt the poetry and charm of Jiangnan water towns from the blue bricks and tiles and gurgling water. Under the guidance of the teacher, the campers also experienced traditional cultural paper-cutting and felt the strong atmosphere of national unity and family. Here, young people of all ethnic groups have increased their knowledge and friendship, and written a good story of ethnic unity connecting the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River and the Pamir Plateau, and the sense of community of the Chinese nation has become stronger in the hearts of young people of all ethnic groups in the two places.

Let "Poetry and Distance" be more intimate with the people

Recently, the TV series "My Altay" broadcast by CCTV has sparked great discussions, and many netizens are yearning for Xinjiang and want to come here to "cyber oxygen" and relax. However, the personal experience of working and living in Wucha also made me deeply realize that Wucha's "poetry and distance" should not be limited to cultural exchanges and tourism promotion, but should also be close to the people's hearts and down-to-earth, and effectively improve the quality of life of local residents through a series of practical livelihood projects, attract more people to pay attention to Wucha, enter Wucha, participate in the economic and social development of Wucha, and promote the progress of national unity.

Water is the source of life and the key to production, and the importance of clean and safe tap water to the development of Wucha is self-evident. Built in 2012, the Wuqia County Water Plant has frequent water supply problems due to aging equipment, which not only affects the daily life of residents, but also restricts the local economic development. In 2024, we will include the Wuqia County tap water reconstruction and expansion project with a total investment of 42 million yuan into the key livelihood projects in Xinjiang. On April 8, under our joint witness, the project officially started, and is currently in full swing, after the completion of the current situation of the urban water supply system will be greatly improved, further for the residents of Wuqia County to provide safe, stable, reliable and convenient drinking water sources, will also fully consolidate the water supply network, the same quality, the same service guarantee foundation.

The renovation and upgrading project of the Grand Bazaar (Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Products Trading Market) in Heiziwei Township is also a key project for Xinjiang aid in 2024. On the basis of fully considering the needs of local residents for life and commercial development, the project has built new public toilets, water supply and drainage, power supply, sanitation and other supporting facilities. For this project, which is related to the happiness index of local residents, all the staff of the Changzhou working group went to the project site many times to dig out every detail, carefully scrutinize the design plan, pay attention to the construction progress, financial guarantee and other aspects to ensure the high-quality and efficient completion of the project. The renovated Grand Bazaar will not only become a vibrant commercial center, but also a window to showcase the charm of Wucha national culture, and it will also be a benchmark and highlight for us to continue to aid Xinjiang and benefit the frontier.

Since 2010, Changzhou's counterpart assistance to Xinjiang has continued to make efforts in many aspects, so that the people of Changzhou and Xinjiang have forged a deep friendship. I firmly believe that with batches of cadres who aid Xinjiang with ideals, hard work, and hard work, the pearl of the west will definitely shine, and the future of Wucha will definitely be better!

Source: "Masses" magazine No. 14, 2024, originally titled "Poetry and Distance" on the Pamirs

Author: Lu Qi (The author is a member of the Standing Committee of the Xinbei District Committee of the Communist Party of China, the head of the Changzhou Municipal Counterpart Support Xinjiang Wuqia County Front Working Group, and the deputy secretary of the Wuqia County Committee of the Communist Party of China)

Editor in charge: Zhang Shanshan