Scenes of stone-paved alleys lined with ancient-looking houses and lush forest with waterfalls have a way of drawing the audience in to the arcadian landscape of Jiangjin district in Southwest China's
They are shown at the beginning of a 4-minute film highlighting a local distinctive dragon dance and set the stage for the subsequent emergence of dancing performers dressed in bright red costumes.
They move in harmony with the beat of drums and gongs, and the painted bamboo-made dragons they carry nimbly slither and coil, gliding through the air, as if having a life of their own.
The film recently stood out for vividly capturing the dance as a distinctive cultural heritage. It was among 500 selected pieces at the 2024 intangible cultural heritage film and photo exhibition that was hosted in Kaihua county, Quzhou city, Zhejiang province, from Oct 23 to 25.
The exhibition was hosted by the Center for Ethnic and Folk Literature and Art Development under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Zhejiang provincial department of culture, radio, film and television, and tourism, and the Quzhou government. It showcased a range of ICH domains, including traditional handicrafts, performing arts and ritual celebrations from 22 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Zhejiang, Shanxi, Henan, Guangdong and Gansu provinces.
"I am a representative inheritor of the small dragon dance, and I deeply feel the responsibility to preserve this precious cultural heritage through recorded images, contributing my part to cultural transmission," says Zhong Jie, a crew member of the film production team.
Named a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage in Chongqing in 2011, the dragon dance acquired its distinctive characteristics out of interactions among dragon dance artists. It took shape in the 1940s, with a dragon normally six meters long and 25 centimeters wide.
"It is characterized by four key features," Zhong says.
Compared with its counterparts across the country, the Jiangjin dance applies relatively small and intricately crafted props and requires only a few dancers.
"Usually three people can deliver a show, or in some cases, two or even a single dancer can pull it off," Zhong explains.
However, it entails a variety of movements and requires advanced skills.
A set of movements vary based on the number of performers, ranging from jumping and diving to interlocking hands, dangling upside down, and head-tail catch.
"Each movement requires strength, agility, and flexibility, making it a challenging and skillful dance for the performers," Zhong says.
The art form has been popular in local communities for being highly adaptable to different occasions and seasons.
"It is suitable for both solo and collaborative performances with larger dragon dances," Zhong says.
His team made sure all the highlights of the dance were captured in the short film, as well as the close connection of the art with local life.
"We also tried to tap into the cultural connotations of the small colorful dragon dance as a folk cultural heritage typical of western Chongqing, and show them to the audience in a vivid way," Zhong says.
Every cultural heritage item, he adds, carries the historical memory, values, and lifestyle of a specific region or ethnic group and is closely linked to local customs and ways of life, thus reflecting people's understanding and perception of nature and life.
The short film also makes a point of presenting the creation of props.
It shows that only "female" bamboo that has grown for more than three years is selected. The outer layer is scraped off before the bamboo is sliced into strips with a knife. These strips are then soaked in hot water for two to three days to enhance their flexibility. Once the frame is assembled, it is painted and decorated with colorful fabric to complete the dragon's appearance.
"Each step, from the rigorous selection of materials to the precise craftsmanship, demonstrates the inheritors' exceptional skills and unwavering commitment to quality. This craftsmanship is not only the core value of intangible cultural heritage but also a key reason it has been preserved over time," Zhong says.
Like Zhong, Liang Hongwei from southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region stood out for her series of photography works zooming in on traditional wooden house construction in rural areas of Tianlin county, Baise city of the region.
"The people there have lived in wooden houses for generations, but due to the high costs of materials, the complexity of the construction process, and the need for skilled craftsmen, very few villagers have built wooden houses in the past decade," Liang says.
"When I learned that a family was planning to construct a traditional wooden house, I felt compelled to document the process out of a desire to protect and pass on traditional culture," she adds.
Over the course of more than six months of construction, Liang visited and took photos three times, witnessing how this traditional wooden house was built without a single nail, relying solely on the efforts of over 200 relatives and neighbors who carried materials and pulled ropes.
"I was deeply moved by the wisdom of these hardworking people," she says, adding that her work being shortlisted for recommendation is not only a recognition of her efforts but also a motivation for her to continue using the power of photography to promote the transmission and development of local intangible cultural heritage.
Zhong's film and Liang's photos were among 10 long films, 10 short films and 10 photography works themed on intangible cultural heritage that were specially commended during the exhibition in Zhejiang.
The event aimed to showcase the achievements in intangible cultural heritage preservation in China since the country joined the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 20 years ago.
It also aimed to promote and exhibit the recent outstanding intangible cultural heritage imagery works from across the country, summarize the related experiences and disseminate the correct concepts of intangible cultural heritage preservation, according to the organizers.
The three-day event drew in more than 330,000 visits online.
Lan Jing, director of the Center for Ethnic and Folk Literature and Art Development, says intangible cultural heritage films and photos play a vital role in recording and disseminating ICH. On one hand, they reflect the personal journeys of the practitioners involved in ICH, and on the other, they objectively present the preservation and development of ICH projects.
The works can transcend the limits of time and space for the public to understand the lineage of these heritage projects, appreciate their spiritual values, and discover their rich meanings and unique charm, Lan says.
Lan also calls on ICH photographers and filmmakers to immerse themselves in the communities where ICH projects are located, paying close attention to the preservation of heritage items, the stories of their bearers and communities, and the natural and cultural environments that sustain these projects.
This approach will foster the creation of more high-quality ICH photos and films that can meet the growing spiritual and cultural needs of the people, Lan adds.
Speaking from his own experience, Zhong points out that it's important to fully understand the history, cultural significance, and value of the intangible cultural heritage project before filming.
"We have to approach these traditional cultural assets with respect, avoiding inappropriate depictions or misinterpretations of the heritage project," he says.
Efforts should also be made to truthfully represent the authentic scenes and craftsmanship of ICH projects, avoiding excessive embellishment or exaggeration, he notes.
"Let the audience see the project in its true form, allowing its unique charm to shine through," Zhong says.
Additionally, focus should be given to details, as the allure of ICH often resides in subtle intricacies.
"Capture these often overlooked details, using close-up shots to highlight delicate techniques, so that viewers can clearly appreciate the craftsmanship's finesse," he says.
