The Way of the Shaman Drum

Name: The Way of the Shaman Drum
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2017-01-01
Duration: 13 min
Rating: 9
Cast: Guan Yunde

鼓韵关东

9.0 (1)2017-01-0113m

Documentary

Overview

During the Cultural Revolution in China in the late 20th century, ethnic Manchu people were persecuted and forced to give up such cultural traditions as the shaman dance (tiao tchin, meaning "spirit-jumping" or "god's dance"). However, on Changbai Mountain in Northeast China, a farmer named Guan Yunde decided to start designing and building traditional Manchu shaman drums. At age 70, he is one of a minority of ethnic Manchu people in China's Jilin province, and one of the few people keeping the Manchu shamanic tradition alive.