The Way of the Shaman Drum

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 spiritjumping or gods 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 Chinas Jilin province and one of the few people keeping the Manchu shamanic tradition alive