Mongolian swan songs

Battogoo runs a workshop to revive the traditional silverware craftsmanship in Urad Middle Banner, Inner Mongolia. Photos by Wang Kaihao / China Daily

Huagu Opera performed at Cultural Festival

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In 2008, the banner's cultural bureau helped publish books which recorded traditional ballad scores and lyrics.

Vocalist Sarna is from the bureau, and she is also Narantogos' niece. She admits that the collections depended more on the decision-makers' subjective interests rather than an objective curating.

A ballad competition was held to encourage the effort to preserve the ballads, but Sarna and Narantogos feel this is not enough.

Narantagos is working hard to preserve this heritage in her personal capacity, and she has taken in more than 10 apprentices without charging any money.

She feels that it is urgent, and that she has to pass it on so more young people can learn this genre of music. Already, age is making her voice raspy.

This urgency also applies to other Urad intangible cultural heritage.

Urad means "artisan" in Mongolian, and the tribe has been known for its skilled craftsmen since the days of Genghis Khan. However, this glory is fading fast.

Battogoo, 50, runs a workshop making silverware. Although he recalls seeing silverware everywhere when he was a child, he realized that it was disappearing from the market.

He became determined to revive the craft around 2006, when the government sent out a call to revitalize the industry.

Battogoo had learned silver-craft when he was younger, and it was easy for him to pick it up again.

He knows things will never be the same. Part of the old processes has been replaced by modern tools. While he appreciated the convenience, he also regretted the passing of traditional handwork.

He has two apprentices, and together they run the three silverware workshops in the banner seat. Museum curator Liu estimates that the total number of silversmiths in the banner to be only around 10.