Two-stringed Fiddle Produces Soundtrack for Nation

NI HAO from China

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E-ZINE / Hot Topics

Two-stringed Fiddle Produces Soundtrack for Nation

Updated: 2007-08-08 09:04

For about a thousand years the horse-head fiddle, or morin khuur, has
been probably the most renowned musical instrument among ethnic Mongolian
groups.

Its place in history can be traced back centuries to when herders and
tribes roamed the rolling grasslands of this northern region.

The fiddle, also known as the matouqin in Chinese, has long been
associated with song, dance, drama, stories and even blessings, and is no
doubt a cultural icon, according to Master Chiborag, the president of the
Chinese Matouqin Association.

"The matouqin is my life, my soul," the 63-year-old musician of Mongolian
nationality said.

Chiborag has played a major role in promoting the matouqin worldwide.

In addition, at the age of three he was affirmed as the fifth living
Buddha by Moli Lamasery Temple on the Horqin Grassland, which is now part
of the city of Tongliao.

But his career as a living Buddha was shortlived.

"I ascended at age three, then was abdicated at five," he said with a
laugh.

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