The Xibe Nationality

The Xibes, with a population of over 170,000, have their own language. They believe in Shamanism.
Daxian Mountain and the Nenjiang River are the cradles of Xibe civilization-it is where the Xibes started and developed. In 1764, in order to consolidate the Xingjiang border area, the Qing government summoned more than 3,000 Xibe officers and soldiers together with their families to settle down along the Yili River to build their second homeland. Now most of the Xibes live in the Qapqal Xibe autonomous county of the Xinjiang Uyger Autonomous Region. Some of them live in the three northeastern provinces.

Along the bank of the Yili river, at the foot of the Wusun mountain-part of the Tianshan mountain ranges of the Xingjiang Uyger Autonomous Region of China-there live the brave and industrious nationality: the Xibes. They have a good living environment with a mild climate and rich land that is blessed with high food production.

Xibe males' dress is in long gowns, mainly of blue, brown and black colors. The females also wear long gowns of the same style as the men, but with embroidered flowers on the sleeves. Young women prefer red, green and purple colors. Most of the women wear earrings, rings and bracelets. The elders wear white head wrappings in the summer and autumn, but wear a cap in the winter. Now the living standards are rising, only the old wear long dresses, whereas the young people wear more fashionable clothes.

The bow and arrow take an exceptionally important place in the life of the Xibes. They used bows and arrows in ancient times for fishing and in war. Now the Xibes still maintain their archery customs. All the Xibes, old and young, men and women alike appreciate archery it is a popular sport among them. A young man will use his good skill to win the love from a girl. During Moon Festival, Spring Festival and April 18th, the Xibes hold archery shows and competitions.

The Xibes are good farmers. Now Qapqal County has 20 hectares of land with high and stable yields. Their main crops are wheat, rice, and corn, as well as some oil-producing crops such as rape seed, sunflower. They also grow several cash crops like beets, tobacco, hemp, and cotton. Cattle and sheep herds cover more than 3.4 million mu of pasture. Now the Xibes are leading a happy life with enough food and clothing.

The special delicacy of the Xibes is Morxek : the Whole-Sheep Banquet. It includes the sheep's internal organs and eyes, feet, blood and entrails, chopped into pieces. Coriander and onions are mixed in. Some preserved vegetables will be served during the courses.

In accordance with the customs of the Xibes, only distinguished guests are served with the whole sheep banquet, because this dish takes too much time to cook and eat. If you have the chance to attend such a banquet, you will remember it for the rest of your life.

Beilun dance, which is most popular in Qapqal, is the folk dance of the Xibes. This dance is usually performed at festivals, marriage ceremonies, birthday celebrations and banquets. During the dance, the men tap themselves on the shoulders, chest, legs and feet. The dongbur and flute are played to liven up the beilun dance, making it more colorful.

Every April 18 of the lunar calendar is a big traditional Xibe festival. This is the day when those Xibes who were forced to move to Xingjiang bid farewell to the Xibes who remained in the Northeast. Two hundred years have passed, but the Xibes have set April 18 as their traditional holiday and hold all kinds of memorial activities every year. On this day, every household will prepare plenty of festival foods. They dress up and get together with each other, playing the dongbur, whistling the moke tune, and dance the beilun in celebration of this festival of historical significance. Besides these, they play traditional sports such as wrestling, archery and horse racing.

What a happy moment and heart warming picture it will make! The Xibes have grown up one generation after another, listening to their mothers' hemming of beautiful unforgettable cradlesong in which so many blessings, expectations, imaginations are permeated.

The Xibes have accumulated a rich experience in agriculture and animal husbandry. What is more precious is that they have lived in this beautiful homeland in friendship and unity with other nationalities. Now the Xibes are building their homeland and creating a good future.