Shenzhen: It is time for the protection and utilization of intangible cultural heritage

Tourists can feel the intangible cultural heritage culture and various lantern festival traditional customs at the Lantern Festival activities of Nantou Ancient City. Photo by Yang Shaokun, reporter of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Daily

On February 15th, the "14th Shenzhen Happy Lantern Festival and 2022 Intangible Cultural Heritage Immersive Virtual Live Broadcast Event" was held in Nantou Ancient City. The video number of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, the Shenzhen Cultural Heritage Protection Center, the Shenzhen Civic Writers Association, and the i-Tour Shenzhen four public platforms simultaneously opened the live broadcast, and the cumulative online view was 4.3321 million views. Nantou Ancient City held an event on the spot, dragon and lion dance, not lively. "This shows from one side that the intangible cultural heritage of Chinese has a strong mass base. Such activities are not more but less. Wang Jun, director of the Shenzhen Cultural Heritage Protection Center, said.

Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Dance, Songgang Seven Star Lion, Xiasha Ancestor Worship... Nowadays, when it comes to Shenzhen's intangible cultural heritage, it can be described as a variety of varieties and dazzling. It is reported that as of December 2021, there are 8 national intangible cultural heritage, 27 provincial intangible cultural heritage, 63 municipal intangible cultural heritage, in addition to many district-level intangible cultural heritage, Shenzhen has fully established a four-level intangible cultural heritage protection system from the national to the district. Not only that, every year Shenzhen will also hold a variety of colorful public welfare cultural activities such as "Happy Lantern Festival", "Cultural Heritage Day" and "Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Festival", so that Shenzhen citizens can sow seeds while appreciating the beauty of traditional culture, and promote the transmission of excellent Chinese traditional culture from generation to generation.

Compatible with open

It presents the unique characteristics of immigrant cities

In 2001, when Kunqu opera was named one of the first "Masterpieces of oral and intangible heritage of mankind" by UNESCO, the concept of "intangible cultural heritage" was not well understood by the Chinese people, and today, China has become the country with the most selected world-class intangible cultural heritage projects. Overall, the domestic legal and regulatory system for the protection of intangible cultural heritage is becoming more and more sound, the list of projects is becoming more and more abundant, the level of protection continues to improve, and the vitality of "revitalization" and utilization is vigorous. Shenzhen's intangible cultural heritage is compatible with open and rich levels, showing the unique characteristics of immigrant cities.

It is reported that since 2008, Shenzhen has published five batches of representative items of intangible cultural heritage. As of December 2021, there are 214 items in the city's representative list of intangible cultural heritage at all levels, including 8 at the national level, 27 at the provincial level and 63 at the municipal level; 176 representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage at all levels in the city, including 3 at the national level, 24 at the provincial level, 30 at the municipal level, and 119 at the district level; and 39 non-genetic display sites at all levels in the city.

Shenzhen's local intangible cultural heritage projects, such as the traditional dragon dance, lion dance, qilin dance, The Queen of Heaven Bao's birthday celebration of the Wu Hakka family in Sha Tau Kok, Wanfeng Cantonese opera, Shiyan Hakka Mountain Song, Sha Tau Kok Sha Lan Scare Wu's Fish Lantern Dance, etc., have both personality and commonality, colorful and colorful.

At the same time, as a city of immigrants, there are also a large number of foreign intangible cultural heritage projects that have taken root in Shenzhen. Wang Jun said: "Since the reform and opening up, Shenzhen has ushered in an unprecedented surging wave of immigration, and some outstanding intangible cultural heritage from the mainland has also been transplanted to Shenzhen. For example, the 'Pingle Guo's Orthopedic Bone Method', which has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list, originates from Pingle Village, Luoyang City, Henan Province; there are also Tian's paper-cuttings from Shaanxi and shadow puppetry from Chaoshan Province. According to statistics, among the municipal intangible cultural heritage representative projects recognized by Shenzhen Municipality, the proportion of non-local intangible cultural heritage projects has reached 31%. ”

Living heritage

Let the intangible cultural heritage 360 degrees penetrate into life

In recent years, Shenzhen has attached great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. The first is to carry out in-depth census and research work. Since 2008, Shenzhen has published five batches of representative projects of intangible cultural heritage, as well as the list of project protection units and representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage; secondly, it has formulated relevant normative documents, formulated work standards and rules and regulations, and promoted the standardization of intangible cultural protection and inheritance. Census, research, and the establishment of norms are the foundations on which to carry out conservation and utilization work.

Intangible cultural heritage is a living heritage. We will be able to protect our activities by holding a wide variety of activities. "Intangible cultural heritage is an important part of traditional culture. It's not like tangible cultural heritage, such as artifacts, in the soil, underwater, without moving it, it may be well preserved. People are the core of non-genetic inheritance, and if people are gone, skills are taken away. Why is Chinese culture recognized? The intangible cultural heritage of living traditions is too important. Wang Chengtai, chairman of the Shenzhen Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, said.

Since 2005, Shenzhen's intangible cultural heritage activities have been in full swing. "Our Festival - Happy Lantern Festival" intangible cultural heritage exhibition and display activities, cultural heritage days and other series of activities are wonderful and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. A series of local folk activities such as the "Sha Tau Kok Fish Lantern Festival", "Qilin Cultural Festival" and "Three Temples in March" have been carried out in full swing, causing concern.

The inheritance and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage have also been carried out in an orderly manner, and the "intangible cultural heritage into the campus and community" and related training efforts have been continuously strengthened; and the training of intangible cultural heritage into the campus, the community and the non-genetic inheritance has been carried out.

At the same time, the construction of intangible cultural heritage protection bases has achieved initial results. In 2013, Shenzhen Vocational and Technical College was included in the list of the first batch of intangible cultural heritage research bases in Guangdong Province, becoming the first research institution in Shenzhen to be included in the list of intangible cultural heritage research bases in Guangdong Province. Fuyong Awakening Lion Dance and Pingle Guo's Orthopedic Medical Technique were also included in the first batch of provincial inheritance bases.

Take responsibility

A shining business card to spread the cultural image of Shenzhen

Wearing Hanfu, wearing flower hairpins, painting Tang makeup... Nowadays, the ancient style of cos is becoming popular, and the young people's love for the national tide is overflowing. The phenomenon-level cultural dissemination events of "out of the circle" in 2021, such as "Miss Tang Palace" and "Underwater Roselle", and the twenty-four solar terms of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics... These are all deep-rooted Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Intangible cultural heritage is not only popular in China, but also highly concerned in the world, and Li Ziqi's ancient lifestyle and traditional Chinese food production have been sought after by a large number of foreign netizens.

Shenzhen Intangible Cultural Heritage also bears the heavy responsibility of disseminating the city's cultural image. Nowadays, intangible cultural heritage has increasingly become the main force of Shenzhen's foreign cultural exchanges. "As a special economic zone, Shenzhen has undertaken a large number of tasks of foreign cultural exchanges with the country over the years." Wang Jun said. For example, every year during the Spring Festival, Shenzhen sends a number of teams to some important overseas countries to promote traditional Chinese culture, and in 2017 alone, Shenzhen organized and participated in the overseas "Happy Spring Festival" series of activities, and has successfully carried out cultural exchanges in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, New Zealand and other countries. In these foreign cultural exchange activities, Shenzhen's intangible cultural heritage projects and inheritors have undertaken a lot of work. "Some projects with distinct Chinese cultural characteristics and Lingnan cultural characteristics, such as Guangdong Cantonese opera, waking lions, paper cutting, a series of intangible cultural heritage projects such as acrobatics and magic, have been welcomed and praised by the international community in foreign exchanges, and have played a positive role in promoting Chinese culture."

"The revival of the national tide and the great importance attached to the protection of cultural heritage by the whole society are very encouraging. In fact, it is not enough to rely solely on the government and the inheritors to protect intangible cultural heritage, only with the participation of everyone can the excellent traditional Chinese culture be vibrant, carried forward and passed on from generation to generation. Wang Jun said. (Reporter Liu Shasha)