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October 14, 2014

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Home » District » Putuo

From music to coins, honored cultural heritage is shown

PUTUO District contains not only heritage sites, architecture, religious and cultural relics, but also a traditional heritage of music, art, crafts and even acrobatics. Among the 19 items of its intangible cultural heritage, Jiangnan sizhu is of state level, eight are of city level and 10 are district level. An exhibition is touring in the district at different community activity centers, with photos and texts introducing the projects. It showcases a comprehensive selection of arts, crafts and folk culture items. Li Anlan takes a lose look.

The Zhao Garden

This garden is a distinct landscape landmark in Yichuan community and is known for planting various kinds of chrysanthemum. The owner, Zhao Dejia, is the ninth generation of a family of florists. The chrysanthemums nurtured in this garden are colorful and elegant, and the garden has success with rare species by planting them using special techniques.

The family started using ring shaped tents to produce chrysanthemums, guaranteeing enough sunlight. And they water the flowers at noon instead of in the morning and evening.

In 1986, the eighth generation of the Zhao family, Zhao Yonggen, brought the chrysanthemums to the exhibition in Hong Kong and Singapore and received recognition. The garden made the list of district cultural heritage in 2011 and city heritage in 2013.

Zhenru lamb

This local delicacy has been a crowd favorite for more than 200 years.

It originated in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and Zhenru Town has two ways of cooking the lamb: boiled or braised.

The simple way of cooking is by boiling the lamb in water and just cutting and serving. This preserves the flavors of the meat, and at the same time keeps it fragrant and crisp. The braised lamb has a stronger flavor and is glutinous in texture.

The lamb used is purchased from Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, and is cooked by traditional methods from one generation to another.

The two ways of cooking lamb in Zhenru was recognized as district and city cultural heritage in 2007.

Coin Engraving

The making of coins has a long history in China, and engraving is a crucial part of expressing the essence of this culture. The technique can be traced to as early as the pre-Qin period (2100-221 BC).

Until the late 19th century, most of the molds used in Chinese coin making were from Western countries except for a few factories. In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China period, Chinese engravers started to combine the traditional Chinese engraving technique with Western skills, developing a unique method. Engravers used different tools to create patterns and texts on steel molds.

Hand engraving is more detailed and meticulous than machine molds and is better at preventing counterfeiting.

The traditional craftsmanship of coin engraving became a district and city cultural heritage in 2007.

Jiangnan sizhu




 

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