Dasitanis a form ofQuyipopular among the Uygur people in Xinjiang and boasts a long history.Dasitanis a Uygur term and it means a long poem that relates an event. As a category ofQuyi, it has the basic feature of being a rhymed story of great length.
The reason why a narrative long poem became adapted to theQuyiform with singing and storytelling is that the Uygur people borrowed the big song cycle or divertimento from an ancient suite of stories called theMukam. As early as the third down to the seventh centuries, the Uygurs, who inhabit the Xinjiang region of China, sangAlifu Airdueahas aDasitanrecital. This is a story about the exploits of a Uygur national hero, and since then it has become a tradition to useDasitanto extol heroes.
Dasitanis performed by one to three persons. The chief singer accompanies himself on theRewalu,Dutaer,DanboerorShadaer(all stringed instruments). Meanwhile, musicians beat the hand drum or stone chimes. The performances are given at temple fairs, market places, teahouses or dinner parties.Manas, the traditional epic of the Kirgiz people, who are also inhabitants of the Xinjiang region, is also performed and transmitted in the form ofDasitan.
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