Checkmate, Mongolian style

A shatar set made by Norbu. Photos by Wang Kaihao / China Daily

Norbu has attended numerous exhibitions around the country. Certificates of honor from the 1980s fill two big plastic bags. His handmade shatar were listed as Inner Mongolia's intangible cultural heritage in 2010 and he is now applying for the national-level.

Norbu does not speak English, and his Mandarin is poor. But he says language is no barrier to spreading the tradition of shatar. He cited his experience representing Inner Mongolia at exhibitions during the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and the Shanghai Expo in 2010.

"When foreigners saw the shatar set at my booth, they sat down and played chess with me without saying a word. I am glad the small pieces are able to draw international attention. To promote the tradition, I gave them pieces as gifts," says Norbu.

Although he believes in creativity of the chess pieces, he is a stickler for authenticity and traditional styles. For example, he says it is a bad idea to add a round base to the pieces because that will make them look too similar to modern chess.

Like other inheritors of handcrafts skills, his major concern is to get more young people involved in reviving the Mongolian tradition. He has recruited two apprentices but is disappointed that few youngsters have patience for the craft.

His dream is to open a school to stop handmade shatar from disappearing. He has written to the local government to request funding.

Norbu also finds time to coach children to play shatar and teach an elective course in Inner Mongolia Normal University in the autonomous region's capital Hohhot to promote the game. He believes that to preserve the tradition, he needs to promote it among the young.

"But, I'm not interested in large-scale production," he says, adding that he feels comfortable using simple tools and working in his small studio. Although he is active on WeChat, a mobile text and voice messaging communication service, and Tencent QQ, a popular free instant messaging computer program, he admits to being behind the times when it comes to modern technology.

"I won't be able to handle the huge demand if I sell them online. The quality will inevitably decrease if shatar is produced in large amounts. Promotion of heritage is more important than making money," he adds.