Intangible cultural heritage inheritors bask in the spotlight

A young spectator admires a dough figurine during the first China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Annual Meeting. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

The first China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Annual Meeting was held in Yulin, northwest China's Shaanxi Province from Feb. 16 to 20. More than 200 intangible cultural heritage projects were displayed and over 500 inheritors showcased their techniques at the event.

Tian Sheng, an inheritor of the Jiaonan New Year painting from Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, attracted crowds with his drawing techniques at the event.

Jiaonan New Year painting is an intangible cultural heritage item in Qingdao. It resembles folklore New Year paintings and draws inspiration from Gongbi, an ancient style of Chinese painting characterized by neat and meticulous strokes and the paper cutting art.

Jiaonan New Year paintings are well-composed, colorful and have a simple yet exaggerated style, while cultural and creative products inspired by the paintings are adorable and exquisite.

Chai Zhanzhu, a 58-year-old inheritor of "Jiaotai Ci," a national intangible cultural heritage in China, believes that the vitality of intangible cultural heritage lies in innovation.

"Jiaotai Ci," which originated from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), involves porcelain clay of two or more colors and is known for its unique twisting and firing techniques.

Chen Yanfen (left), a paper cutting artist, shows paper cutting works she made. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

"In the past, there were only a small number of patterns on the porcelain, such as patterns of feather and chrysanthemum. Now, images of landscapes, figures, flowers and birds can also be seen on the porcelain. We have worked with universities to upgrade our clay and glaze techniques and have obtained a number of patents," Chai said.

According to Chai, Dangyangyu village in central China's Henan Province where he comes from, has six enterprises, one professional cooperative and more than 20 family workshops engaged in the production, processing, sales and technological research of "Jiaotai Ci," with annual sales of 300,000 pieces (sets) of porcelain.

In recent years, young inheritors are becoming a major force in promoting and popularizing traditional skills. Chang Yangyang from central Henan is a paper-cutting art inheritor and a vlogger with over 340,000 followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

"Social media serves as a bridge between traditional culture and young people, who show keen interest in traditional culture," Chang said.