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Maintaining the heritage

In order to inherit and spread the traditional Daur culture to more people, Yire opened public accounts on Chinese social media platforms and posted articles and videos about this unique minority group.

Her recent videos about the ice-piercing for fishing in Hulun Buir's first ice and snow sports tourism season, in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have captured the attention of many viewers.

On the day of the event, the Daur people sang and danced around a burning bonfire. They hold a traditional thousand-year-old fishing competition, and cooked the fish just out of the water on the spot. Everyone seems to be fully emerged into the boisterous festivity.

Meng Liying, director general of the culture and tourism bureau of Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner in Hulun Buir, told the Global Times that the ice fishing originated from their ancestors, the Khitan or Qidan people, which has been proved by the historical record - people "chiseling the ice to get fish" in winter. The place where the Daur people lived was surrounded by rivers and mountains, contributing to a rich fish resources. Thanks to the fruitful natural environment and resources, the Daur people were able to keep the tradition of ice-piercing until today.

Additionally, the local authority also launched traditional food appreciation events, a festival themed New Year's goods, ice and snow sports competitions, immersive intangible cultural heritage experiences and a winter carnival.

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Ancient ancestors

2023-02-11

The Daur people are a minority group in China, with only 132,299 members, according to the census carried out in 2021. The DNA analyses have proven that the Daurs are descendants of the ancient Khitan people, a historical a nomadic people originating in eastern Inner Mongolia.