Problems of studying the birch bark art of the Orochon people in China from the 1980s to the present

Abstract

The subject of this research is decorative and applied art of the Orochon people living in the Northeast of China and the issues of its study in Chinese academic studies. Currently, the humanities in China are moving to a fundamentally new level in the study of ethnic traditions and cultures, which is associated not only with a relatively new policy of "reform and openness", but also with a deep understanding of the humanities and social studies about the value of local cultures. The birch bark art of the Orochon national minority in China is an important part of creativity, broadcasting the traditional culture and aesthetics of this people. In this work, an attempt is made to study and systematize information about the research of Chinese scientists on this art, as well as about the origin and naming of the Orochon ethnic group, its language, traditional culture and the dynamics of its changes. The number of studies that have been studying the Orochon people, their culture and art, since the 1980s, has become noticeably larger, and their overall level has increased significantly. This work examines scientific papers and articles collected on four aspects – history, culture, art and birch bark art of the Orochon people since the 1980s. The authors of the article conclude that the state of research on Orochon birch bark art is unbalanced, however, there are already prerequisites for a deeper study of it within the framework of art criticism in the areas of form, color and aesthetics, as well as cultural codes and connotations of works of art, allowing to clarify the features of the traditional culture of ethnic minorities of Northeast China and the changes taking place in it. With the constant attention of Chinese scientific and public circles to the Orochon people, combined with relevant ideological and cultural opportunities such as the revival of national rural areas and the construction of the "One Belt, One Road", the study of Orochon folk art will certainly deepen. The interaction and joint research of scientists from China and Russia in the direction of studying the cultures and art of ethnic minorities in the Far East, as well as the correlation of conclusions about the art of ethnic minorities in a previously unified territory, are also necessary and expected.