Every morning, the first thing Adrijiang Shatar does after getting up is to feed the horses. His beloved horse "Turhati" was a gift from his uncle on his 10th birthday. "I started riding at the age of 7, and horse racing is my favorite sport," said Adrijiang Shatar.

There is a proverb from the Kazakhs: "Song and horse are the two wings of the Kazakhs." The long-standing nomadic life has made horses the best companion of the Kazakh people, and the song carries their emotions and falls on the vast grasslands with the melodious melody.

In the hilly area located on the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, there is a minority township dominated by animal husbandry - Bostan Township, Mulei Kazakh Autonomous County, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang. Every winter, during the slack season, singing, dancing and horse racing are always favored by local farmers and herdsmen.

Adelijiang Shatar's dream is to become a professional rider: "I participate in horse racing every year. Not long ago, the speed of the traditional folk culture activities of farmers and herdsmen was racing, and I won the fourth place."

On January 1, 2025, the traditional folk culture activities of farmers and herdsmen in Bostan Township started, which is also the third year that Bostan Township has launched this activity. On the vast snowy land, nearly 3,000 farmers and herdsmen of all ethnic groups rushed from various townships, and the joyful music and the galloping sound of horses were blended.

"Every household has horses." Hastaer Xiashou, secretary of the Party branch of Yilkabak Village, Bostan Township, said, "As long as there are horse racing activities, everyone will come to participate."

"Since the beginning of winter, we have held a series of activities such as the Ice and Snow Tourism Festival and the Mass Village Evening, which not only enriched the cultural life of the masses, but also promoted local specialty agricultural and sideline products." Chen Geng, secretary of the Party Committee of Bostan Township, said that the content of traditional folk cultural activities for farmers and herdsmen at the beginning of this year is more abundant. In addition to singing and dancing performances and display of Kazakh traditional folk customs, there is also a rural team composed of farmers and herdsmen to show the unique animal husbandry achievements of each village.

In the folk cultural activities, several Kazakh herdsmen wearing festival costumes and tumbling hats slowly entered the venue on wooden cranes, showing the achievements of the camel breeding industry in Bostan Township in recent years. Also appearing together were the farmers and herdsmen representing the villages of Bostan Township, who rode their horses and cheered.

11-year-old Dilinar Shahedati rode on the stage for the first time this year. As a member of the Akzhual Village team, she set out to the scene early in the morning. "I am very happy to participate in the event. I rode my father's horse, and many of my friends were on the scene."

With a whip, a pair of young Kazakh men and women dressed in costumes galloped on horseback. The young man led the way, while the girl held the whip tightly and chased her. This is the "Girl Chasing" traditional Kazakh folk performance project. "I won't miss every time the 'girl chase'." Gulibahexia Tursun Khan, a villager in Akzhuole Village, said that it is precisely because of the annual activities that she and her family have more leisure time to get together to ride horses and sing and enjoy life.

Where there are Kazakhs, there is never a shortage of moving singing. On one side is a tense and intense horse racing event, and on the other side is a rich and interesting singing and dancing performance. In addition to traditional national songs, Kazakh wedding customs performance attracted everyone. The innovative lyrics, while advocating the transformation of customs, show the new spiritual outlook of the Kazakh people in the new era.

Kawushar Jukai, Yirhabak Village, Bostan Township, is one of the few college students working in the village. She said that in recent years, the lives of farmers and herdsmen have undergone earth-shaking changes. While material conditions are getting better and better, the people also hope that their spiritual life will continue to be enriched.

"Next, we will continue to carry out traditional folk culture activities, create a brand of folk culture characteristic, further inherit and carry forward folk culture, and drive the economic development of townships." Chen Geng said.