论文部分内容阅读
Chinese shadow puppetry has moved into the light and got the recognition it deserves by being included on the United nations educational, scientific and Cultural Organization(UnesCO) world intangible cultural heritage list.
The puppets are used to present a kind of drama in which silhouettes of hide-made characters are projected onto a white screen. The performers manipulate behind the screen while singing to tell the story.
in recent years, China has attached great importance to the protection of its intangible cultural heritages. helping list them on UnesCO’s List of the intangible Cultural heritage(iCh) of humanity is only a part of its years of efforts to save them from extinction.
Rich heritage
China’s 5,000 years of history have endowed the country with extremely rich cultural heritage.
Cultural heritage does not end at monuments, buildings or other objects. it also includes intangible cultural heritage, which is defined by UnesCO as “the practices, representations, and expressions, as well as the associated knowledge and the necessary skills, that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.”
some examples include folklore, traditional music, dance and theater, social practices, rituals and festive events, and traditional craftsmanship.
it’s estimated that intangible cultural heritage items in China amount to approximately 870,000. China is a multiethnic nation, so its cultural heritage features many ethnic and local characteristics that differ from the rest of the world.
“in China, a qualified cultural heritage has to meet additional criteria compared to the international standards,” says Wang Zuoji, an expert of folk culture devoted to iCh protection. “it must have a history of more than 100 years, passed down through three generations.”
According to Wang, many cultural heritage items in China have experienced many variations in order to keep pace with the times.
Until 2011, China had 29 items on UnesCO’s List of the intangible Cultural heritage of humanity, which means the country holds the largest number of listed items.
Disappearing treasures
Lu Baogang is the deputy head of Beijing shadow show Troupe.
As a branch of thousands of years old traditional shadow show, Beijing shadow show has gone through a history of 600 years in the region. As the major successor of the Beijing shadow show, Lu’s family was once famous all over the city during an earlier era.
The group is made up of only six staff. Many classic plays have disappeared from the list, since those usually require over 10 people to take part in.
“everyone must be responsible for at least one role. if anyone fails to come, the show will be canceled,” says hou Yongsheng, who was originally a shadow puppet craftsman but also a major actor now. Lu said that the salary offered to puppeteers is too small to attract new young performers and insufficient for current performers to live on it full time.
similar situations also happen to other intangible cultural heritage sites in China and many are facing extinction.
“The biggest problem for iCh protection is lack of successors,” says Wang Zuoji.
Wang said that many intangible cultural heritage items fail to enable its successors to live on it. in addition, most crafts or skills require years of tough efforts to learn, and young people usually show no interest in age-old culture.
But intangible cultural heritage, usually passed down by oral teaching, must be carried by human beings. Without successors, the culture cannot survive.
Moreover, closely related to people’s way of life, intangible cultural heritage also diminishes with the development of the society, as lifestyles change dramatically. For example, labor songs, sung by boat trackers in the olden days, disappeared with technological advances.
Meanwhile, China’s minority ethnic groups are often lo-cated in economically backward regions. Culture heritage is being eroded by urbanization and modern civilization.
According to research, 35 percentage of China’s traditional theater died out in the past 60 years. The number for traditional dance is 37 percent during the past 20 years, and in some provinces, the proportion reaches two thirds.
Legal protection
in 2004, China joined the Convention for the safeguarding of intangible Cultural heritage, becoming one of the few member countries included by the UnesCO. since then, its efforts have been sped up.
While promoting its cultural heritage internationally, China also built its own system. in 2006, 518 items were approved as the first group of national masterpieces of intangible cultural heritage. The same lists were also set up at provincial and municipal level. Meanwhile, China also celebrated its first intangible Cultural heritage Day in 2006, calling for more public awareness.
What’s more, after years of preparations, the intangible Cultural heritage Law came into effect on June 1, 2011, providing a foundation for iCh protection.
“The new law clearly defines the applying procedure to get into the list of intangible cultural heritage,” says he Chunyan, who works for iCh protection. “if everything can work under the law, i think the protection will get improved a lot.”
he said that although there are many good policies made by the government, it’s still hard to fully implement them.“There must be many problems and loopholes. But it did make progress. More people have begun to pay attention to,” says he.
in the past five years, the Central Government has put about$8 million into the special fund for iCh protection. But even that huge number can only scratch the surface. experts believe that it’s more important to help intangible cultural heritage items to stand on their own feet.
Wang Zuoji said that the iCh protection is focusing on providing a platform for traditional cultural heritage to display their charms. The temple fairs and exhibitions in museums stand as good opportunities. And festival celebrations and competitions also help.
“in the past, we advocated the idea of business feeding culture, which means enterprises donating money to cultural programs. But now it’s time to let culture support business,” says Wang.
Wang believes that the present situation is the best ever, after iCh protection has been emphasized on both the annual sessions of national People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, and national congress of the literary and art circles. The cultural and creative industry is blossoming. it’s a great opportunity for enterprises to invest more.
“The investment will bring hope for intangible cultural heritage and enhance their viability,” says Wang confidently. “investors won’t regret it, because the cultural and creative industry is a soil which can germinate any seed.”
The puppets are used to present a kind of drama in which silhouettes of hide-made characters are projected onto a white screen. The performers manipulate behind the screen while singing to tell the story.
in recent years, China has attached great importance to the protection of its intangible cultural heritages. helping list them on UnesCO’s List of the intangible Cultural heritage(iCh) of humanity is only a part of its years of efforts to save them from extinction.
Rich heritage
China’s 5,000 years of history have endowed the country with extremely rich cultural heritage.
Cultural heritage does not end at monuments, buildings or other objects. it also includes intangible cultural heritage, which is defined by UnesCO as “the practices, representations, and expressions, as well as the associated knowledge and the necessary skills, that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.”
some examples include folklore, traditional music, dance and theater, social practices, rituals and festive events, and traditional craftsmanship.
it’s estimated that intangible cultural heritage items in China amount to approximately 870,000. China is a multiethnic nation, so its cultural heritage features many ethnic and local characteristics that differ from the rest of the world.
“in China, a qualified cultural heritage has to meet additional criteria compared to the international standards,” says Wang Zuoji, an expert of folk culture devoted to iCh protection. “it must have a history of more than 100 years, passed down through three generations.”
According to Wang, many cultural heritage items in China have experienced many variations in order to keep pace with the times.
Until 2011, China had 29 items on UnesCO’s List of the intangible Cultural heritage of humanity, which means the country holds the largest number of listed items.
Disappearing treasures
Lu Baogang is the deputy head of Beijing shadow show Troupe.
As a branch of thousands of years old traditional shadow show, Beijing shadow show has gone through a history of 600 years in the region. As the major successor of the Beijing shadow show, Lu’s family was once famous all over the city during an earlier era.
The group is made up of only six staff. Many classic plays have disappeared from the list, since those usually require over 10 people to take part in.
“everyone must be responsible for at least one role. if anyone fails to come, the show will be canceled,” says hou Yongsheng, who was originally a shadow puppet craftsman but also a major actor now. Lu said that the salary offered to puppeteers is too small to attract new young performers and insufficient for current performers to live on it full time.
similar situations also happen to other intangible cultural heritage sites in China and many are facing extinction.
“The biggest problem for iCh protection is lack of successors,” says Wang Zuoji.
Wang said that many intangible cultural heritage items fail to enable its successors to live on it. in addition, most crafts or skills require years of tough efforts to learn, and young people usually show no interest in age-old culture.
But intangible cultural heritage, usually passed down by oral teaching, must be carried by human beings. Without successors, the culture cannot survive.
Moreover, closely related to people’s way of life, intangible cultural heritage also diminishes with the development of the society, as lifestyles change dramatically. For example, labor songs, sung by boat trackers in the olden days, disappeared with technological advances.
Meanwhile, China’s minority ethnic groups are often lo-cated in economically backward regions. Culture heritage is being eroded by urbanization and modern civilization.
According to research, 35 percentage of China’s traditional theater died out in the past 60 years. The number for traditional dance is 37 percent during the past 20 years, and in some provinces, the proportion reaches two thirds.
Legal protection
in 2004, China joined the Convention for the safeguarding of intangible Cultural heritage, becoming one of the few member countries included by the UnesCO. since then, its efforts have been sped up.
While promoting its cultural heritage internationally, China also built its own system. in 2006, 518 items were approved as the first group of national masterpieces of intangible cultural heritage. The same lists were also set up at provincial and municipal level. Meanwhile, China also celebrated its first intangible Cultural heritage Day in 2006, calling for more public awareness.
What’s more, after years of preparations, the intangible Cultural heritage Law came into effect on June 1, 2011, providing a foundation for iCh protection.
“The new law clearly defines the applying procedure to get into the list of intangible cultural heritage,” says he Chunyan, who works for iCh protection. “if everything can work under the law, i think the protection will get improved a lot.”
he said that although there are many good policies made by the government, it’s still hard to fully implement them.“There must be many problems and loopholes. But it did make progress. More people have begun to pay attention to,” says he.
in the past five years, the Central Government has put about$8 million into the special fund for iCh protection. But even that huge number can only scratch the surface. experts believe that it’s more important to help intangible cultural heritage items to stand on their own feet.
Wang Zuoji said that the iCh protection is focusing on providing a platform for traditional cultural heritage to display their charms. The temple fairs and exhibitions in museums stand as good opportunities. And festival celebrations and competitions also help.
“in the past, we advocated the idea of business feeding culture, which means enterprises donating money to cultural programs. But now it’s time to let culture support business,” says Wang.
Wang believes that the present situation is the best ever, after iCh protection has been emphasized on both the annual sessions of national People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, and national congress of the literary and art circles. The cultural and creative industry is blossoming. it’s a great opportunity for enterprises to invest more.
“The investment will bring hope for intangible cultural heritage and enhance their viability,” says Wang confidently. “investors won’t regret it, because the cultural and creative industry is a soil which can germinate any seed.”