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

Chzhan Syaoli ORCID: 0009-0008-1203-1484 Professor, School of Art and Design, Heihe University (People's Republic of China); Postgraduate, Department of Arts and Design, Far Eastern Federal University (Russia) 690078, Russia, Primorsky Krai, Vladivostok, Ajax str., 10, sq. building 6.2 chzhan.syaol@dvfu.ru Other publications by this author

Chernova Anna Viktorovna PhD in Art History Associate Professor, Department of Art and Design, Far Eastern Federal University 690078, Russia, Primorsky Krai, Vladivostok, Ajax str., 10 av_chernova@mail.ru

The national minorities of China and Russia have much in common, due to the same living conditions; in this regard, cultural characteristics are also similar. However, in the context of the geopolitical division of the indigenous peoples of the Far East, including when genetically unified nationalities became part of society separately in China and Russia, the traditional art of ethnic minorities of the Far East became an independent art of the peoples of Northeast China and the same independent art of ethnic minorities of the Russian Far East, Ethnic minorities of the Russian Far East, in particular including the Nanai and Evenks, they adopted a number of features of Chinese culture, and have been developing independently for more than a century and a half. Russian scientists studied the art of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Far East, including I. Ya. Boguslavskaya ("The problem of the formation of local artistic features in folk art" (1987)^[1]). N. V. Kocheshkov ("Problems of ethnic traditions in the decorative arts of small peoples of the Soviet Far East" (1983)^[2], "Ethnic traditions in the decorative art of the peoples of the Far North of the East" (1989)^[3]. N. I. Kaplan ("Folk decorative and applied Art of the Far North and the Far East" (1980)^[4]).  also K. P. Beloborodova, L. S. Bukatova, T. V. Lementovich, A. Ya. Chadaeva, V. A. Shishkina. However, Russian and Soviet scientists had practically no opportunity to turn to the study of the traditional art of the peoples living in China. Therefore, the presentation of the spectrum of research by Chinese scientists in this article seems to its authors relevant for Russian readers and researchers.  Understanding the peculiarities of Orochon art will help to better understand the peculiarities of the art of national minorities living in the Russian Far East, such as Evenks, Nanais and other nationalities. Both Russian and Chinese researchers are interested in studying this topic, which has an impact on cultural exchange between the peoples of the two countries and contributes to understanding the cultural characteristics of the states.

The Oroch are one of the smallest ethnic groups in China and a unique national minority in Northeast China, which has pronounced ethnic and cultural characteristics. Orochons have long attracted the attention of scientists from both China and abroad. Research on the culture of the Orochon people has been going on for more than a hundred years, their field has gradually expanded from the general history and origin of the Orochons to language, religion, literature, demography, social life, economics, culture, folklore, education, and many other aspects. In the last ten years, attention to the culture and art of the Oroch has increased. A large number of articles and monographs were published, and dissertations were also defended.

Birch bark art products of the Orochs of China are an important and unique part of the ethnic art of this people, which is distinguished by the developed production technology, interesting shapes and decor, and rich ornamentation. The work on the preservation and research of the traditional art of ethnic minorities in Northeast China contributed to the transition of art from elite to folk and increased the value of traditional creativity. The number of studies devoted to the Orochon people and their art has been growing since the 1980s. However, most aspects of the Orochon birch bark art, as well as its meanings and significance for modern culture, have not been studied enough.

The history of the study of the birch bark art of the Orochon people. The study of folk art of China's national minorities began only in the twentieth century, the introduction of theories, methods and practices from Western and Russian sciences – ethnography, cultural anthropology, cultural studies and art history, brought a new vision to the study of the art of Chinese national minorities and had a direct impact on Chinese scientists studying ethnic minorities in China. Various aspects of the art of the small peoples of Northeast China demonstrate a tendency towards revival and transformation.

Until the 1980s, written materials devoted to the art of working with birch bark of the Orochon people were mostly books and popular writings, and to a lesser extent scientific works. Among the scientific works of the middle of the XX century, it is necessary to name "A brief historical essay on the Orochon people on the Kumara Road"^[5] by the Chinese scientist Yu Daosan (1957), "Archival materials on the Orochon people on the Kumara Road"^[6] (1958) The Society for Socio-Historical Research of Northeastern Ethnic Minorities, as well as the "Orochon People"^[7], published by the famous scientist Akiyura in September 1956. In the 1980s, after the implementation of the policy of "reform and openness", the study of the art of national minorities entered a new stage.

The review of the problems of research on the Oroch, their traditional culture and art should begin with historical scientific works. This work contains scientific papers and articles from the 1980s to the present on four aspects - history, culture, art and birch bark art of the Orochon people. The paper considers the most significant studies of Chinese scientists who have influenced the study of this topic. Due to the large number of papers devoted to this issue, it is not possible to fully consider all the works of researchers.

Historical scientific works. Since the early 1980s, the number and quality of scientific works on the history, culture and art of the Oroch has been growing rapidly. Among the most valuable and informative is Qiu Pu's study "Ethnic Minorities of China - Orochons" (1984)^[8,p.62]. Representing the development and evolution of Orochon culture, Wang Bomin's work "Ethnic Minorities of China. The History of Fine Arts" (1985)^[9,p.104] and Zhao Fuxing "Orochon Research" (1987)^[10,p.8], which presents the history, culture and art of the Orochon people. In 1990, Enehara Suridai presented two of his works - "The History of Fine Art of ethnic groups of Northern China"^[11,p.29], which describes the primitive culture of the Orochon ethnic group in the north, and "The History of ethnic Art in Northern China".

In 1999, Liu Xiaochun wrote "Records of the Oroch Style", presenting the way of life of the Oroch. "The Culture of the Heilongjiang Orochons"^[12,p.149] by Han Yufeng in 2002, "Confession about the History of the Orochons" by Liu Xiaochun in 2003, "A Brief History of the Orochon people" by Tang Ge in 2008 expanded the understanding of the history, folk customs, culture and art of the Orochons. In 2003, Wang Zhaoming presented the book "The New Life of the settlement of the Orochon people", introducing the modern history of the Orochons and the history of settlement development of this national minority. In 1998, the Committee for the Compilation of Local History Literature of Heilongjiang Province published the collection "History of Heilongjiang Province", and in the chapter on Orochon literature and art, the fine art of the Orochons was presented for the first time. Further, more in-depth studies on the art history of the Oroch and other small peoples appeared - in 2001, Chen Zhaofu's study "The Art of Chinese Minorities" was published ^[13,p.519], in 2004 Gao Huimin wrote the book "A study of the History of Minority Art in the Heilongjiang River Basin", and in 2004 Lu Yuxun wrote "A brief historical study of the development of Heilongjiang art."

In 2005, Hao Qingyun defended his doctoral dissertation at Northeastern University on the topic "Comparative study of social and cultural changes of the Hezhe and Nanai peoples in the 17th and 20th centuries" ^{[14, p.19]}. In the middle of the 19th century, the paths of ethnic development of the Hezhe and Nanai peoples split, resulting in ethnic dissimilation. In 2006, He Qun completed a study on "Living conditions and ways of survival of small ethnic groups - the development and evolution of the Orochon culture", where he presented the development and evolution of the culture of the Orochon people. In 2009, Mao Yan, in the "History of the Study of the Art of Chinese Minorities (1900-1949)" ^{[15, p.224]}, reviewed and studied the theoretical and practical research of Chinese scientists aimed at studying the arts of the Orochon national minority, and also attempted to show the development of the Orochon culture. In 2012, Guan Xiaoyun and Wang Zaixiang presented the culture and folklore of the Orochon people in their work "Chinese Orochons". These monographs are devoted to the history of art and culture, as well as the ethnic history of the national minorities of Northeast China. They are also comprehensive studies that combine the history of ethnic art with other types of art. Consequently, the history of the national minorities of Northeast China has already been described and studied quite fully by now.

Scientific research on various aspects of the Orochon culture. The earliest records of the use of birch bark for the construction of houses are found in "Bei Shi. The biography of the Shiwei tribe" and "Sui Shu. The biography of the Shiwei tribe", which indicates the tradition of the Shiwei tribe to use birch bark to build houses. And there are also records of the "Jiu" tribe of the Tang Dynasty, who used wood to build houses, and of the Jin Dynasty, under which the Jurchens used birch bark to build their huts. After the Qing Dynasty, the birch bark culture of the northern peoples began to be recorded in detail in historical sources such as "Records of Heilongjiang Province", "A Brief History of Longsha", "A Brief History of Lubian" and "Records of Jilin Province". Shi Lugo's book "The Social Organization of the Northern Tungus" describes the birch bark cradles of various ethnic groups such as the Hezhe (Nanai), Daurians, Manchus and Mongols, and paintings and photographs are valuable sources telling about the early Orochons.

Since the 1980s, the study of the ethnic culture of the Oroch in China has been mainly represented by the following works: In the "Last Legend: a Study of the Orochon Culture", 2006 ^{[16, p.218]}, Yazhzhi describes the use of traditional ornaments and patterns of Orochons on birch bark products, animal skins and embroidered products. In 2011, Wang Tefeng wrote the book "Birch Heritage: Birch Bark Culture in Northern China". In 2006, Huang Renyuan, in his work "The Study of Civilizations in the Heilongjiang River Basin" ^{[17, p.247]}, explains what the Orochon civilization is, and describes the ethnic features of the Orochon civilization of the Heilongjiang River Basin, its contribution and influence on Chinese national civilization. In 2018, Wang Bingchen published a book entitled "A Study of the aesthetic culture of the Orochons" ^{[18, p.247]} where he analyzed the connotations, characteristics and changes in the aesthetic views of the Orochons, as well as outlined aesthetic concepts, traditions, consciousness, orientation and artistic representation of religious beliefs, everyday life, literature, primitive rock art, modern oil painting, crafts, songs and dances of the Orochons.

In May 2004, Tian Gang wrote an article "The culture of animal skins and birch bark of Orochons" ^{[19, p.108]}, which was later published in the journal "Education Research". Gu Wenshuang's work "On the birch bark culture of ethnic minorities of Northeast China" ^{[20, p.69]}, published in March 2004 in the collection of articles "Ethnoses of Heilongjiang Province" of the "National Journal of Heilongjiang Province", tells about the dissemination, content and culture of birch bark art of ethnic minorities of Northeast China. Zhang Zhenzhong's work entitled "Orochons and Birch bark" ^{[21, p.48]}, published in March 2004 in the journal "Ethnoses Today" tells about the spread, content and historical development of birch bark art of ethnic minorities in the northeastern region and highlights the unique birch bark culture of the Orochon people and its links with the environment in the the period of the long wandering life of the people. In 2007, Wang Zhuhua's work "Unique cultural remains of three small ethnic groups in the north - about the birch bark culture of the Orochons, Evenks and Daurs" was published in the journal "Art Criticism" ^{[22, p.93]}. In 2008, Tao Lin's work entitled "Cultural overtones and life Wisdom" was published in the magazine "Consumer". birch bark products" ^{[23, p.17]}. In 2009, Wu Qiong's work "Report on the study of birch bark culture of three small "ethnic groups of Inner Mongolia" ^{[24, p.36]}, was published in the journal "Art Criticism". Du Zhidong's 2010 article, "The hidden meaning of the aesthetics of birch bark products of the Orochon people" ^{[25, p.110]}, published in the Bulletin of Chifeng University, tells about the unique production process and subtle decorative techniques in the production of birch bark products, which reflect the fusion of practical functions and aesthetic concepts and occupy an important place in ethnic crafts of China. Zhang Tong's master's thesis on "The study of the birch bark culture of China and Russia in the Heilongjiang River basin" ^{[26, p.13]} analyzes the similarities and differences between the birch bark cultures of China and Russia in the Heilongjiang River basin. In December 2016, Lei Ming and Li Li published an article in the Chinese Packaging magazine "Using new media to spread the culture of Hezhe leather" ^{[27, p.36]}. Birch bark creations have become a unique craft in the culture of the Hezhe ethnic group (Nanai), which must be protected and appreciated, and the traditional culture of Hezhe fish skin and birch bark should be inherited following the development of new media. In December 2020, the journal "History of Heilongjiang Province" published a joint work by Guan Qun and Yu Hua entitled "Birch bark Culture of the Orochon ethnic group" ^{[28, p.38]}, the ethnographic Museum of Heilongjiang Province and the Ethnographic Museum of the Orochon Autonomous Hoshun Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia presented birch bark products created by the Orochon people. Thus, quite a lot of qualities, features and aspects of the traditional life and culture of the Orochon people have already been studied, but there is not enough comprehensive description and study of the conditions and results of the Orochon activity to create a full-fledged picture.

Scientific research on various aspects of Orochon art. In 1990, in Sun Yunlai's book "The Fine Art of the peoples of the Heilongjiang River Basin" ^{[29, p.6]}, the fine art of nine Siberian peoples of the XIX — early XX century, including the Evenks, Evens, Nanai (Heche) and other peoples, was selected for study. In 1992, Enehara Suridai in the book "The Primitive Art of Hunters" ^{[30, p.5]} investigated the emergence, development and evolution of the primitive art of the hunting peoples of northern China, the author paid special attention to the primitive art of the hunting peoples of northern China. In 2000, the work "Hunting Folklore and the art of the Orochons" by the author Enekhar Suridai presented the folklore and art of the Orochon people. The work entitled "Ornamental patterns and fine art of the hunting peoples of northern China" ^{[31, p.51]} by Liu Yuliang, introduces readers to the ornaments and patterns of the Orochon people, as well as the technology of their manufacture. In 2010, Fu Yiguan's work "The Theory of Shamanic Art" ^{[32, p.55]} presented the costumes of the shamanic deity of the Orochon people, artistic forms and symbolic concepts. In 2012, Yu Zhengming's work titled "Protection and Inheritance: The Literary Value of Heilongjiang Province Folk Art Research" presented Heilongjiang folk art from historical background to craft features, from protection and inheritance to industrial development. In 2012-14, three master's theses on Orochon art were defended: at Harbin Pedagogical University – the work of Yang Fanfang "Study of the culture of the Orochon costume" ^{[33, p.5]}, which analyzes the origin, classification, shape, pattern, color, decoration and development trend of the Orochon national costume, the work of Gao Nannan "Study of hunting costume of the Northern Orochon people" ^{[34, p.7]}, at Liaoning Pedagogical University – Wang Hongsho's work "Research on the tradition and current situation of Orochon folk art" ^{[35, p.44]}, in which the author analyzed the characteristics and connotations of the traditional art of the Orochon people. In 2018, Zhang Jingming presented 38 objects of the national intangible cultural heritage of folk art and 217 objects of the provincial level of the heritage of Northeast China in his work "Research of the heritage of Northeastern folk Art" ^{[36, p.182]}. In 2018, Hu Weijun wrote a doctoral dissertation at Suzhou University on the topic "Northeastern shamanic art and folklore" ^{[37, p.144]}, where he described the influence of shamanism on the folklore of northeastern China.

Thus, since the 1980s, relatively few studies have been conducted on the culture, folklore and folk art of the Orochon people, which are mainly presented in the form of comprehensive studies and several dissertations. Orochon art, as a study of the culture of the people as a whole, deserves generalizing research, including previously unexplored or little-explored directions and trends of Orochon art.

Scientific research on the birch bark art of the Orochon people. In 2000, Mo Hongwei published a study "The art of birch bark mosaic in the collection of paintings of the Orochon pier of Hul Hongwei" ^{[38, p.8]}, in which the technique of gluing birch bark was described for the first time. In 2011, Na Min wrote the work "The heir to the technique of making birch bark boats – Guo Baolin" ^{[39, p.39]}. In March 1993, Ha Nasy wrote the work "Experiment on Orochon birch bark craft" ^{[40, p.44]}, published in the journal "Social Sciences of Inner Mongolia", which presents Orochon birch bark products as carriers of ancient culture. In March 2005, Sun Yidanh wrote the work "A brief analysis of the Orochon art of birch bark carving" ^{[41, p.44]}, published in the journal "Art Criticism", which describes the methods of decorating birch bark products, including the method of scratching, engraving, embossing, applications, ink painting, pillar painting, etc. In June 2005, Ji Min wrote the work "The Light of Wisdom penetrating the great forest – the birch bark art of the Orochon people" ^{[42, p.98]}, published in the journal "Chinese Craft". The Orochons are a typical hunting people, and the traditional birch bark culture is formed due to a wandering lifestyle near mountains and forests. In February 2006, Meng Weimin, in his work "A conversation about the consumer value and aesthetic value of Orochon birch bark products" ^{[43, p.101]}, published in the Art of Inner Mongolia magazine, talks about birch bark products used by Orochons in everyday life, for example, boxes, buckets, baskets and crates. In December 2008, Wu Qiong wrote the work "The study of ornaments on birch bark dishes of the Orochon people of Inner Mongolia" ^{[44, p.34]}, published in the journal "Art Criticism". In his work, Wu Qiong explores the ornamental style of Orochon birch bark tableware, the reasons for the formation of the content and shape of the ornament. In June 2008, Wang Haidong wrote the work "The method of inheritance of birch bark dishes of the Orochon people" ^{[45, p.85]}, published in the journal Geography and History of the northeastern part of China. In his work, he explores the ornamental style of birch bark tableware of the Orochon people. In January 2008, Wang Ji and Li Xiaolin jointly wrote a work entitled "A Book on birch bark carving and patterns" ^{[46, p.55]}, published in the almanac "Ethnoses of China". In March 2010, Wang Duan's work entitled "A brief analysis of the traditional patterns of the Orochon people" ^{[47, p.56]} was published in the magazine "News Lovers". In his work, Wang Duan conducted a study of Orochon national traditional patterns that can be traced in all aspects of Orochon life. The patterns are rich in content and varied in form.

In September 2010, a work was written under the authorship of Erdunsan "The boat of the forest - the birch bark boat Orochon" ^{[48, p.98]}. A birch bark boat is a tool that is used by the fishing and hunting peoples of Northern China as a water transport. In October 2011, Yang Lihong published the work "Aesthetic study of the birch bark art of the Orochon people" in the journal "Bulletin of Scientific and Technical Innovations" ^{[49, p.235]}. In 2012, Tao Dandan published the book "The Art of Birch Bark Culture" ^{[50, p.32]}, in which he presented the history of birch bark products and methods of their manufacture. In October 2013, author Zhao Xiaoli wrote a paper on the theme "Art and cultural connotation of birch bark patterns of the Orochon people", published in the magazine "Beauty and Time". In May 2017, Wang Tongxiu's work entitled "Semiotic Interpretation of the Orochon Nancholo flower pattern" was published in the collection of articles "Ethnoses of Heilongjiang Province" ^{[51, p.150]}. The Nancholo flower pattern is one of the most widely used patterns among the floral ornaments of the Orochon people. In February 2018, Meng Dehong wrote the work "Inheritance of skills and the construction of ethnicity – Orochon birch bark craft from the point of view of artistic anthropology" ^{[52, p.164]}, which was published in the collection of articles "Ethnoses of Heilongjiang Province". In September 2019, Huang Xi's work "From apparatus to cultural creativity - inheritance and innovation of birch bark manufacturing techniques" ^{[53, p.97]} was published in the journal "Art Criticism". In this work, birch bark machinery, its production tools and birch bark products are considered as an object of research from the point of view of culture and design, as well as existing analogues of traditional crafts are studied.

In 2020, Jiang Shan presented his doctoral dissertation at Jilin University on the topic "Research of Orochon birch bark art" ^{[54, p.72]}. The work says that the birch bark art of the Orochon people is one of the components of Chinese traditional art. The birch bark art of the Orochon people reflects deep national feelings, as well as unique aesthetic aspirations. In February 2021, a joint work by Tao Dandan and Zhang Han titled "Inelegant birch bark culture. Expressions and comparison of crafts" was published in the magazine "Popular Art and Literature". In this work, attention is focused on the analysis of the cultural representation of such an intangible cultural heritage as the technique of making birch bark.

A significant number of works on the birch bark art of the Orochons have been written and published by one of the authors of this article, Zhang Xiaoli. The author's first work in 2011 was the study "Analysis of the ethnic themes of birch bark patterns of Orochon"^[55], which was published in the journal Popular Art and Literature. General issues of birch bark art – the history of art and crafts, some issues of technology and decoration are reflected in the works of the author "Values, characteristics and strategies of inheritance of the art of Orochon birch bark"^[56], "Research on the origin and inheritance of the art of Orochon birch bark in Heilongjiang province"^[57], "Research on the origin and industrial heritage of the birch bark art of the Orochon people Heilongjiang Basin"^[58], "Research on the protection and heritage of birch bark crafts of the Orochon people in Heilongjiang Province"^[59], "Preservation and transfer of Orochon birch bark art from the point of view of intangible cultural heritage"^[60].

The issues and problems of using birch bark and technologies of working with it in various types of decorative and applied art are reflected in the works of Zhang Xiaoli "Protection and inheritance of the art of tea ware from Orochon birch bark"^[61]. "Heredity and application of the Orochon birch bark culture in the creation of illustrated folk tales"^[62]. The specifics of Orochon artistic birch bark are studied in the articles "Study of decorative patterns of birch bark products of the Orochon people in the Heilongjiang River basin"^[63], in the joint works of Yan Tianbao and Zhang Xiaoli "Analysis of factors of formation of color characteristics of traditional Orochon patterns", and Zhang Xiaoli with Zhou Xiaojie "Study of birch bark art of the Orochon people in the Heilongjiang River basin" ^{[64, p.29]} and "Analysis of the essence of the design of the traditional craft of Orochon birch bark products in Heilongjiang province"^[65]. The current state of Orochon birch bark art is presented in the articles "Situational function and significance for the heritage of Orochon birch bark crafts within the framework of the intangible cultural heritage"^[66], "Aesthetic consequences and innovations of the heritage of Orochon birch bark crafts"^[67], "Building an innovative model of talent training in the Orochon birch bark art industry - university – research"^[68], "Assessment and analysis of the craft art of Orochon birch bark in the Heilongjiang River basin"^[69], "Hereditary application of birch bark craft of the Orochon ethnic minority of intangible cultural heritage in interior design"^[70].

Zhang Xiaoli also turns to the study of other types of decorative Orochon art - "The modern significance of the inheritance of the Orochon modeling art in the Heilongjiang River basin"^[71], and in collaboration with Xu Ying, "A study of the art of sculpting Orochons along the Heilongjiang River on the Sino-Russian border"^[72], in the journal Culture and Civilization. The work "A study of traditional birch bark art and animal skin products of an ethnic minority in the Heilongjiang River Basin" was published^[73]. All this allows you to introduce birch bark art into the general context of Orochon art and evaluate its significance.

Based on the above, it can be concluded that the works on the birch bark art of the Orochons are numerous and diverse, but these studies are fragmentary and scattered and cannot be recognized as systematic and in-depth, and are only valuable basic information. They are studies on the basis of which in-depth analyses on specific issues can be carried out.

The results of the conducted research. Thanks to the review presented here of the results of research on Orochon folk art in China, it can be seen that it, as an important part of Orochon culture, has attracted the attention of experts and scientists since the 1980s. Based on the analysis and generalization of the results of existing studies, the authors believe that the current study has the following characteristics, problems and considerations.

Characteristic indicators. Firstly, since the 1980s, a research group has been growing, which includes not only experts and scientists - historians, cultural scientists, anthropologists, ethnographers, art historians conducting a number of studies on Orochon art and culture, but also undergraduates and graduate students, which reflects both the gradual strengthening of the research line and the formation of the echelon of researchers. Secondly, research results are also becoming more systematic, consistent, holistic and reliable. Thirdly, the scope of research is also expanding. The general trend of research shows that the focus of research is in the field of visual culture, and more attention is paid to ornaments, production techniques and cultural connotations of Orochon birch bark art. Also, as the process of socio-economic development accelerates, with increasing attention being paid to ethnic identity, the question of how to read and use the symbols of ethnic art becomes more relevant, and there is still a need for guidance in practice based on deep reflection. Orochon art is in a state of dynamic change, existing visual expressions are constantly evolving through transformations, mergers and borrowings, there are still many opportunities for a comprehensive study of Orochon art in comparison with art from other ethnic minorities in both China and Russia. The existing results are more descriptive in nature, and within the framework of art criticism there are few in-depth studies of Orochon folk art forms in terms of form, color and aesthetics, as well as there are not enough special results for in-depth analysis and study of their general artistic characteristics.

This article lists almost all books and articles about orochons published in China since 1980. Based on this, it can be concluded that the study of Orochon ethnic birch bark art is voluminous, but uneven, especially lacking in in-depth studies of Orochon folk art in terms of form, color and aesthetics within the framework of art criticism. Also, for a full-fledged study, there are not enough results of a deeper analysis and research of the general artistic characteristics of the Orochon birch bark art. These studies are quite scattered and particularly need structuring and systematization.

Conclusion. Thus, at present, thanks to the efforts of scientists, prerequisites have developed for a deeper study of the art of the Orochon birch bark in terms of shape, color and aesthetics, as well as cultural codes and connotations of artistic works, 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 project, "the study of Orochon folk art will certainly deepen."

It is also worth noting that 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 necessary and expected.