Hotan Heritage

Hotan heritage

Instruments of the Twelve Muqam, a genre of Muqam—a multifaceted Uygur performance art blending elements of singing, dancing and music—popular in places such as Kashgar and Hotan
A loom used to make Hotan handwoven carpets on display at the museum
Distinctively patterned Atlas silk hangs in a hall of the museum. Hotan is one of the major producers of this textile, which is traditionally made by the region’s Uygur people
A teapot crafted by artist Gao Yijin from Hotan white jade, considered to be one of China’s finest varieties of jade
Local specialty food items from Hotan on display at the museum

The China National Arts and Crafts Museum in Beijing is hosting an exhibition of intangible cultural heritage from Hotan Prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Held to celebrate the autonomous region's 70th anniversary, the exhibition features over 600 artifacts representing around 30 forms of intangible cultural heritage. Hotan was once not only a major hub of the Silk Road, but also the starting point of the Jade Road, which came into existence thousands of years before silk was first traded. BR

(Text and photos by Wei Yao)

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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