In this program, the host Long Yang, together with guests Shan Jixiang and Du Jiang, experienced the unique culture of Chenzhou and witnessed the inheritance, innovation and development of Hunan’s ICH crafts in the new era.

 

Chenzhou’s ICH projects were unveiled one by one in the program, including the masterpieces listed in the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, such as Hunan Kun Opera, traditional silversmithing, Jiahe Wedding Songs, Qifengdu Fish Rice Noodles and rice cake making. 

 

 

 

Chenzhou, with its rich history, culture and ICH projects, attracts people to come in an endless stream.

 

Hunan Kun Opera is a branch of Kun Opera in Southern China. Its language is based on Chenzhou Mandarin, with a high-pitched tone and clear diction. It has a strong local style because it integrates with some tunes of folk songs of the South Hunan. 

 

Chenzhou’s silver forging skill has a history of more than 300 years, which is incomparable from other silver-making crafts for its high demand in details of every process from drawing to engraving and production, including more than 20 processes such as casting, hammering, welding, knotting, washing, etc. 

 

As one of the wonderful art works of traditional folk songs, Jiahe Wedding Songs are an activity that bridesmaids express their feelings to the bride. It integrates with poems, songs and dances and is sung by females in Jiahe’s local dialect.

 

 

There is one assertion as to the inspiration of Qifengdu Fish Rice Noodles related to Pang Tong, a famous person from the Three Kingdoms period. The ingredients used to make Qifengdu Fish Rice Noodles, such as rice noodles, fish and soybean oil, are produced in the local area. For a cook, it is most difficult to integrate the fish with the hot spicy soup to make it spicy and tasty but not fishy.

 

According to statistics, there are 10 national ICH projects, 28 ICH projects at provincial level and 101 ICH projects at city level in Chenzhou, which are the cultural wealth of Chenzhou.

 

 

Chenzhou Changjuan Cultural Tourism Town is located in Suxian District of Chenzhou City, which has 12 city experience halls. It is also the filming site of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage in China-Hunan”. Each exhibit in the town tells a story about one of Chenzhou’s customs and special products.

 

Lei Yiguang, the 52-year-old third-generation ICH inheritor of Hunan folk house wood carving, began to learn wood carving at the age of 11. Wang Taibao, the 62-year-old representative inheritor of “Linwu Nuo Opera”, has opened Nuo opera training courses in the village since 2017. A total of hundreds of people received his training for Linwu Nuo Opera. Wu Anying, the inheritor of the “Qifengdu Fish Rice Noodles Hand-made craft”, has cooked more than 3 million servings of fish rice noodles.

 

 

Zhang Haiping, who is from Guiyang County, returned to his hometown and started his own business. By inheriting the craft of handcrafted straw ash water zongzi, he leads the villagers to get rich. At Chenzhou Special Education School, a “post-80s” teacher Xu Jieting teaches Patchwork embroidery in sign language.

 

In recent years, Chenzhou’s departments at all levels and ICH inheritors have carried out a series of ICH into school activities. Anren County and Linwu County have organized the inheritors of paper-cutting, rice sculpture and Yao long-drum dance to carry out ICH teaching activities in local schools. Guiyang Yao Songs, Rucheng She Folk Songs and Guidong Tea-picking Tune have also been introduced into local primary and secondary schools.

 

At the same time, a variety of wonderful activities were launched to enrich people’s lives, such as Hunan-Jiangxi Border Area ICH Exhibition and Promotion and ICH folk culture festival.

 

 

This September, the second Hunan Tourism Development Conference will be held in Chenzhou. Chenzhou is keeping on enhancing its ICH brand building, exploring the historical charm and spirit of the craftsman behind the ICH projects.  The innovative measures like “ICH+” will bring the city more fun.

 

“ICH plus cultural tourism” empowers the rural revitalization of the South Hunan area. In February, Yizhang County introduced the national intangible cultural heritage “Yizhang Night Story” into the scenic spot, attracting more than 60,000 people to watch it and making itself a popular Internet-famous tourist attraction. Suxian District established the Qifengdu Fish Rice Noodles Workshop to develop serial products of Qifengdu Fish Rice Noodles, and constructed a cultural tourism industrial park integrating fish noodles products processing and special rural tourism, which received more than 200,000 visitors annually.

 

 

“ICH plus study tour” helps build cultural confidence. In early June, a study tour group of more than 1,000 teachers and students from Shenzhen visited 14 ICH pavilions in the Guiyang Cultural Park. They watched the wonderful performances of Kun opera and Hanfu show, learned the crafts of paper making, paper cutting and patchwork embroidery, and tasted traditional food such as rice sculpture and ash water zongzi.

 

On June 3, the Xiaobu Ancient Village of Beihu District created the “ICH plus scripted role-play games” project. With ICH inheritors of South Hunan Kuang’s Paper-cutting, Jiang’s Macrame, Yang’s wood movable character printing and Jinxianzhai Traditional Medicinal Tea as NPCs, the visitors dressed in Hanfu to experience a live-action immersive scripted role-play game. On June 20, a themed activity was held in Beihu District, where many ICH projects were displayed, attracting a large number of young people.

 

In Chenzhou, many ICH inheritors have started to publicize the ICH projects through livestreaming activities, creating more possibilities for the inheritance and innovation of ICH projects.