Hami Culture

Flavor Food

People of all ethnic groups live there in the long time so that unique food with western China characteristics gradually formed, such as meat food series of Hami melons , braised cake with mutton (羊肉焖饼子), edible wild herbs series (mushroom, tarragon,allium mongolicum regel), Yousumo (a kind of local fried cake), stewed mutton,rice roll soup of Hui people, shish kebab, roast whole lamb,XinJiang baked Nan-Bread, cold rice noodle roll, baked samosa, yellow noodle (a kind of cold noodles), etc.

The Yizhou Song

Hami was called Yizhou in Tang Dynasty. Yizhou music was processed after its introduction into the Central Plains and it got the name of Yizhou music since then. Yizhou music is based on the local Yizhou popular ditties, and it took in the Han music elements as well. Hami Twelve Muqam is the inheritance and development Yizhou music. During the thousands years of spreading, the music absorbs new folk music composition and brings the Hami Muqam of today.

Meshrep (麦西来甫)

It means gathering in Uyghur. It is a traditional folk song and dance gathering which is folk entertainment activities to have fun, to give formation education or to have dining party. It is prevalent in Uyghur residence. Hami maixilaifu has its own local characteristics.

Aken Tanchang (阿肯弹唱)

Tanchang means to sing while playing a stringed instrument. In the Barkolgrassland and the mountainous areas of western mountain areas in Hami city, where Kazak people live in a compact community, people would have the traditional event - AKen Tanchang. It takes antiphonal singing as the main form that could include 2 or 4 people or even one person who plays and sings the narrative poem.