Cultural feast on offer for expo visitors
Print Edition
THE second China International Import Expo kicked off yesterday, welcoming traders and visitors from all over the world.
While business negotiations are in full swing, many people may want to snatch a little respite from their busy routine to have a look at the booths dotted along the footpaths and central squares at the National Exhibition and Convention Center.
A total of 171 exhibitions and interactive activities involving intangible cultural heritage and timehonored brands from 20 of China’s provinces, cities and autonomous regions are showcased in these booths.
They offer a vast variety of cultural experiences from Peking Opera to a huge hotpot that can cater for 56 people gathered around it. At the central square stage, 97 art performances will be put on throughout the five-day event.
Xinjiang music draws the crowd
The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region’s pavilion of intangible cultural heritage on the footpath between Hall 1 and 2 drew a crowd yesterday with its melodious music. The Kazakh dancers gave an improvisational performance that drew rounds of applause from the visitors.
Music was one of the nine tangible heritages the autonomous region brought to the CIIE. Others were embroidery, pottery, silk and jade craft.
Paerhati Abudusufuer from Kuqa in the region’s Aksu Prefecture brought 43 traditional Xinjiang instruments, each handmade by him and his apprentice.
Xie Yanqi, an exhibitor from Beijing, bought a dap, an iconic hand drum used in Xinjiang music.
“It is such a good chance for us to enjoy some authentic culture which we hardly have time to witness,” said Xie. “I bought the dap for my son.”
Abudusufuer said the distinct tone of the instruments was one of the key features that shaped the soul of Xinjiang music. “We come from the far west of China,” he said. “The expo has given us a precious opportunity to let our music and culture be heard.”
Making a dutar, a plucked string instrument, usually takes Abudusufuer about six months. “First you pick the right wood, then you peel it and shape the instrument,” he said. “It is quite delicate, for a minor deviation will make the instrument out of tune.”
Yet such time-consuming craftsmanship is driving more young people from the job. Abudusufuer is the third generation of his family making musical instruments, but he fears for the future of the craft.
Paper-cutting, shadow puppets at Shaanxi booth
Shaanxi Province’s pavilion of intangible cultural heritage features papercutting, shadow puppets, among other arts.
Some arts would hardly be seen but for the expo. Paper-cutting from Tian Yali is one of them.
Tian, an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, is from Junyi, a small county in Tongchuan, Shaanxi. She makes paper earrings at the pavilion.
“Our local tradition is to wear paper-cutting accessories at weddings or other celebrating events.”
A few steps away, Wang Tianwen is showing volunteers how to play with his shadow puppets.
“You see the five figures here, they represent the five roles in a traditional Chinese opera,” Wang said as he controlled the strings to make the puppets move. “A skilled puppet master should be able to control at least all five of them and complete a play.”
Kite-flying, a Weifang heritage
Before heading to Shanghai for the CIIE, Guo Hongli stood in front of his collection of kites, wondering which one would be the best to showcase his work to the world.
Guo, a national-level inheritor of intangible cultural heritage from Weifang in Shandong Province, finally decided on a small kite in the shape of a centipede with a dragon’s head. Weifang is known for its kite-flying culture and the city has been holding annual international kite festivals since 1984.
Weifang kites often feature ancient Chinese myths, mythical creatures and birds.
“Many countries around the world have a tradition of flying kites,” Guo said. “But I think the cultural context behind our kites is unique.”
It is something beyond entertainment or sport, he said. An artistic spirit lies behind the fine handcraft which features traditional Chinese painting and bamboo making.
“When we fly a kite, we also set high our best wishes to life and friends,” Guo noted. The smallest kite Guo has brought to the expo is no larger than a butterfly, the largest was also one in the shape of a centipede with a dragon’s head, fluttering in the wind above the Shandong intangible cultural heritage pavilion.
The 48-year-old has been making kites for over 30 years. The centipede with dragon’s head was made more than 10 years ago.
Though the kite is so small that it can go in a box no longer than 30 centimeters, it took
Guo more than a month to make. Guo used 168 bamboo joints to form the dragon’s head. The smallest parts of the head are shorter than a centimeter. Before shaping these parts, Guo must first burn the bamboo joints.
“You have to be very careful with the fire for the parts are so small it could have snapped,” said Guo.
Some parts were so small that when he dropped one it was gone forever. “It was so small that it felt like looking for a needle in a bottle of hay,” said Guo.
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