Most of us are attracted by some aspect of China's traditional
handcrafts, whether it be sugar figurines, paper cuts or shadow
puppets, but little is known about the deeper meaning of these art
forms and that these and other cultural aspects of Chinese life may
soon be lost for ever, only existing in people's memories.
"Almost each minute, one kind of Chinese folk art disappears,"
said Feng Jicai, Chairman of the China Folk Literature and Art
Society.
Feng is not being alarmist. As most Chinese folk art forms, also
known as intangible cultural heritage, passed on from ancestors via
oral instruction, the continuation of these traditional skills
depends completely on successors. But most folk artists in China
are already in their 70s or 80s, many have passed away, a major
threat to the survival of folk arts.
"Before I had completely grasped the skills of making good bows,
exclusively mastered by my father, he died," said Yang Fuxi
regretfully. He is the 10th generation of successors of the
Juyuanhao, a 290-year-old archery store in Beijing.
Such stories are common across China, causing great concern
among older skilled artisans. With China moving toward an aging
society, intangible cultural heritage has also entered a period of
dying out, said Liu Xicheng, a member of the program of
safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in China.
He cites an example of shadow puppetry in east Gansu Province,
who's repertoire has declined rapidly from more than 100 plays in
the early 1950s to only 20 today.
Fan Zhengan is another example. As the only inheritor of the art
of shadow puppets in Shandong Province, which requires only one
performer to produce all the sounds and manipulation of the
puppets, Fan has long been worried about the future of his art.
"The one-man shadow puppet play has a history of over 1,000 years,
and when I am gone, the skill goes with me," he said.
The endangered future of these ancient art forms has recently
awakened the awareness of the Central Government and the public of
China. A national law on protection of intangible cultural heritage
has now been drafted in China. Along with this, some provinces have
also promulgated local regulations to protect folk arts, cultural
traditions and customs in their regions.
On June 9 this year, 266 representative folk artisans were
included in the list of the first batch of China's national level
intangible cultural heritage issued by the Chinese Ministry of
Culture.
Of the 266 listed fork artisans, Lin Bangdong, a fourth
generation paper-cutter in Leqing, Zhejiang Province (unique in
that he uses a special knife, not scissors, to cut), is one of
them.
The 81-year-old Lin has dedicated himself to this art for 67
years. Fortunately for him, his son and grandson have also learned
the skill along with a dozen young paper-cut students.
Although the Central Government has taken various measures to
protect disappearing intangible cultural heritage, the situation is
still not optimistic. This is partly because of social
modernization and globalization trends, said Tian Qing, Director of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Center of China.
"Everyone is now caught up in the virtual world and young people
in many countries have similar modern interests. All this impedes
ongoing interest in traditional cultural activities," said
Tian.
He predicts that if endangered folk arts are not protected in
time, they will disappear in the next 10 years.
Tian is echoed by many folk artists in China. "In our current
society, less adults have enough patience to appreciate the appeal
of traditional folk art, not to mention the youth," said Zhong
Dongsheng, a craftsman who has made miniature mud figurines for 30
years.
Having the same concern, many protectionists of traditional
Chinese culture also call for the details of Chinese intangible
cultural heritage to be included in the elementary and middle
school textbooks.
Currently, the good news is that China is now carrying out a
plan to subsidize folk artisans, which will help them to pass on
their skills, according to Tian.
Shadow puppeteer Fan will be a beneficiary. The local government
has drawn up a special five-year protection plan for him, which
includes financial aid and a training plan to pass on his skills to
10 students.
Greatly encouraged by the government support, Fan is determined
to create some new shows to adapt to the more modern tastes of
younger audiences. "I have been invited to perform shadow puppets
for college students, and they love it very much. So I think if we
have new content and keep the traditional performance style, our
audience will expand," said Fan.
And along with the efforts of the government, some unofficial
organizations have also joined the culture protection work. Feng's
China Folk Literature and Art Society is now busy with a program
that will create a database of folk art masters in China and fund
them through various channels.
"Passing on culture is the responsibility of the whole society.
Only if every one of us can care and treasure the rich cultural
heritage left by our ancestors, can the unique tradition and spirit
of our nation will be maintained. It needs the joint effort of the
entire nation," said Feng.
(Beijing Review October 11, 2007)
