Chinese culture continues the spiritual bloodline of our country and nation, which needs to be passed on from generation to generation, and it also needs to keep pace with the times and innovate. With the continuous advancement of China's intangible cultural heritage protection work and the continuous improvement of the level of inheritance and development, the development of intangible cultural heritage protection and inheritance has reached a new historical height, ushering in an unprecedented opportunity of the times. At the two sessions of the National People's Congress in 2022, Wang Aiqin, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shanxi Province, said that intangible cultural heritage is a living inheritance with inheritors as an important core, and it is necessary to continue to strengthen the activation and utilization, so that intangible cultural heritage can be integrated into modern life and become an important part of people's daily lives, so as to better achieve protection and inheritance.
Xinhua Net: At present, the "development fever" of intangible cultural heritage projects to marketization, commercialization and industrialization is heating up, how to continue to strengthen the revitalization and utilization of intangible cultural heritage, and better realize its protection and inheritance?
Wang Aiqin: Only by integrating intangible cultural heritage into modern life and becoming an important part of people's daily lives can we better realize protection and inheritance.
Intangible cultural heritage is a living inheritance with inheritors as an important core, and only by integrating intangible cultural heritage into modern life and becoming an important part of people's daily lives can we better realize protection and inheritance. To this end, I would like to make the following recommendations:
The first is to promote the integration and development of intangible cultural heritage protection and public cultural service guarantee work. Governments at all levels should include representative intangible cultural heritage projects with local characteristics and suitable for popularization and promotion into the catalogue of basic public cultural services, rationally plan and use existing venues, and set up special areas in public cultural facilities for the collection, display, inheritance, dissemination and research of intangible cultural heritage projects.
The second is to establish a diversified financial support system for intangible cultural heritage projects. On the basis of increasing government investment and making good use of sufficient financial funds, we should actively absorb non-governmental organizations and social funds to participate in the protection of intangible cultural heritage. Encourage enterprises and social forces to invest funds, widely participate in the protection of intangible cultural heritage, "claim" intangible cultural heritage innovation incubation projects, try and explore the development and performance management mechanism of multiple entities that bundle the interests of inheritors, and increase the market circulation vitality of intangible cultural heritage products. Promote financial institutions and special funds to help intangible cultural heritage, establish an operating mechanism that combines research and practice, and connect the two resources.
The third is to promote the in-depth integration of intangible cultural heritage + tourism + life, so that intangible cultural heritage products and intangible cultural heritage activities can enter scenic spots and integrate into the lives of the people. With the locality, authenticity and uniqueness of intangible cultural heritage, combined with local arts and crafts with traditional advantages, etc., it attracts tourists, conserves consumer groups, boosts the spread of non-genetic inheritance, and gradually forms intangible cultural heritage professional streets and towns that play a role of market forces and various characteristic display spaces, thereby stimulating consumption and promoting the industrialization of intangible cultural heritage.
Xinhua Net: There are still problems such as insufficient innovation and lack of follow-up of the team of inheritors in the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, what are your feasible suggestions for this?
Wang Aiqin: Formulate an incentive talent training mechanism to drive and attract more social forces to join the reserve construction of intangible cultural heritage talents.
In the existing team of inheritors, most of the inheritors rely too much on the traditional inheritance methods, lack sensitivity and cognition of contemporary aesthetics and artistic trends, weak market awareness, insufficient innovative spirit, insufficient openness, and weak living inheritance ability. Limited by the problem of aging and low degree of marketization, some old crafts have a lack of inheritance. For this status quo, I recommend:
The first is to increase the cultivation of non-genetic inheritance reserve forces. Through the establishment of national or local awards, representative inheritors (groups) of intangible cultural heritage with outstanding contributions will be rewarded, and protection funds and living subsidies will be increased, so that they can carry out the transmission of intangible cultural heritage skills with peace of mind. Continue to implement the research and training plan for inheritors, explore and promote the combination of intangible cultural heritage and academic education, formulate an incentive talent training mechanism, and drive and attract more social forces to join the reserve construction of intangible cultural heritage talents.
The second is to enhance digital empowerment of intangible cultural heritage dissemination and utilization. Make full use of the normal protection of intangible cultural heritage digitization to achieve the revitalization and reproduction of intangible cultural heritage, build an online platform for intangible cultural heritage linked by the state, provinces, cities and counties, and realize the digital sharing of intangible cultural heritage. Encourage Internet enterprises and all kinds of cultural enterprises to build online and offline intangible cultural heritage experience halls, and develop intangible cultural heritage immersive experience products.
The third is to strengthen the role of intangible cultural heritage protection, inheritance and utilization in rural revitalization. More than 73% of the intangible cultural heritage projects are in the rural areas of the mainland, and intangible cultural heritage is one of the starting points for rural revitalization. It is recommended to introduce supportive policies to discover, re-evaluate and restore the cultural value of rural areas and rebuild rural culture. Support the establishment of farmers' cooperatives, promote models such as "intangible cultural heritage workshops" and "one village, one product", vigorously support traditional handicraft processing, agricultural and sideline product production, increase government purchases of public cultural products such as rural small plays and quyi, consolidate the results of poverty alleviation, and solve problems such as employment of surplus rural labor.
Xinhua Net: As an important carrier for expressing and inheriting China's excellent traditional culture, opera has a profound mass base and unique charm. With the development of grass-roots opera troupes into the public cultural service system, intangible cultural heritage protection system, and cultural industry support system, xiqu theater troupes have been rejuvenated, how do you think we should further enhance the influence and attractiveness of grassroots opera troupes?
Wang Aiqin: The opera theater troupe should continue to reform and innovate, actively adapt to the changes brought about by the current fast-paced life, take the initiative to graft the market, move closer to young people, and move closer to new ways of communication.
The central and western regions of the mainland are the gathering places of opera resources, with mellow local characteristics, strong local atmosphere and strong ethnic customs. The vast number of grass-roots opera troupes are rooted in the people, close to life, and are welcomed by the masses, their performance ability has been steadily improved, and their internal vitality has been continuously stimulated, forming a large number of brands with rich local characteristics. However, problems such as insufficient funds, lack of talents, weak creative forces, and narrow living space still exist. I have the following suggestions for this:
First, from the height of cultural security and ideological security, we should fully understand the status and role of grass-roots opera theater troupes, strengthen the construction of grass-roots opera troupes, occupy the grass-roots cultural front with advanced culture, and firmly grasp the ideological initiative.
The second is to strengthen the top-level design, departmental coordination (transfer payment of the Cultural Industry Development Fund of the Central Propaganda Department, the construction of the National Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture Inheritance Base of the Ministry of Education, the revitalization of the Rural Areas of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the various supports of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism), coordinate the various annual declarations of financial support funds at all levels, especially in various ministries and commissions, adjust the structure, and increase the special support projects for grass-roots opera theaters.
The third is to establish and improve the counterpart support mechanism of the provinces, ministries, provinces and municipalities, include the service of grass-roots academies and troupes in the evaluation and assessment of the social benefits of the state, provincial and municipal state-owned literary and art academies, make good use of the "three districts" talent policy, and guide the key troupes of the central and provincial governments, as well as the opera academies, creative research institutions, and grass-roots opera academies to unite with each other, cultivate talents, and improve their level.
Fourth, the government's purchase of services is inclined to grass-roots opera troupes. Include online performances in the scope of subsidies for performances that benefit the people, promote the art of opera into schools, communities, and villages, increase the number of performances, conserve audience groups, and form a virtuous circle of performance creation.
The fifth is to actively promote the construction of the cultural volunteer team, support opera performers and creative personnel, teachers and students of opera academies, and famous opera artists to go deep into grass-roots opera theaters and provide services.
Of course, from the perspective of the academy itself, it is also necessary to continuously reform and innovate, actively adapt to the changes brought about by the current fast-paced life, take the initiative to graft the market, move closer to young people, move closer to new communication methods, and strive to improve influence and attractiveness. (Wu Yinbing)