Debra Li

    debra_lidan@163.com

    THE first of a series of events to promote China’s intangible cultural heritage in local communities was initiated in Nantou Ancient Town, Nanshan District on Thursday.

    The event planned by the Nanshan Cultural Center attracted dozens of curious residents to a book bar chain outlet, Easyread Books, in the ancient town.

    The warm-up show featured an excerpt from the Kunqu opera “The Peony Pavilion,” a masterpiece in this refined art form where the heroine’s yearning for romantic love triumphs over reason. One of China’s oldest forms of drama, Kunqu opera was proclaimed by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.

    After the show, Liu Qipei, the inheritor of a Guangdong Province-level intangible heritage art form, shared his story of how paper-cutting has been passed down through his family over the past century. A traditional form of decoration, paper-cutting used to adorn the window panes and doors of every household, but has been marginalized in modern life. With people rekindling their interest in Chinese traditions, this art has been given a new life as people incorporate it into designs of lamps, clothes and other everyday items. “My skills of paper-cutting have helped me travel around China and make a living, ultimately settling down in Shenzhen,” he said.

    Xie Mengti, a disciple of the Lingnan (south of Nanling Mountains) school, performed on a guqin (an ancient Chinese string instrument) and explained a bit about the history of this ancient form of art. Some may mistake the guqin for the zheng (plucked-string board zither), but the two are quite different. While the zheng had 13 strings back in Tang Dynasty (618-907) and has transformed over time to now bear as many as 21 strings, the guqin has only seven strings, growing from the original five. Therefore, compared with the zheng, the guqin is a quiet instrument. Legend has it that the guqin, with a history of about 5,000 years, was invented by the ancient emperors Fuxi, Shennong and Huangdi, in order to cheer up and entertain their clansmen. The instrument was mentioned in the “Book of Songs,” an anthem of classical Chinese poems, and has been found in 2,500-year-old tombs. It was traditionally favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement, as well promoted by the Chinese philosopher Confucius as a means to educate people.

    Local Chinese culture scholars also shared their take on how to preserve culture heritages.

    Nan Xiang, a professor with Shenzhen University, believes that many items of intangible cultural heritage are rooted in daily life and can be very practical. “These heritages can actually enrich our aesthetic experience and add a sense of ritual to modern life,” he said. He praised the efforts of Nanshan cultural authorities to revive Chinese traditions.

    Hu Yeqiu, another scholar, hopes the cultural heritages, such as the guqin, can become living traditions and a part of city life.

    As this year’s solar term “Major Heat” fell on Thursday, the Easyread Books outlet also organized a mini-exhibition of books and handicrafts themed on the 24 solar terms.

    The Nanshan Cultural Center is also planning to build a small intangible cultural heritage museum in the Qianhai community to provide a year-round venue for residents to learn about Chinese traditions. It has organized free training programs in communities for residents to learn skills such as paper-cutting.