CelebrationofQiangNewYearheldin2015AFrench-languagedocumentaryThePeopleAbovetheClouds,airedinbothChinaandFranceonMay12,hasrecalledmemoriesofAbaTibetanandQiangAutonomousPrefectureinsouthwestChina’sSichuanProvince,afteradeadlyearthquakerockedtheareaexactly10yearsago.FortheQiangpeople,thedocumentary,whichfeaturesthereconstructionofQiangculture,hasaspecialmeaning.Likeaphoenixrisingfromtheashes,itshowstherejuvenationoftheQiangculturefromtheruinsofdevastation.
Qiangisoneofthe56ethnicgroupsinChina,withapopulationofabout300,000.The8.0-magnitudeearthquakeonMay12,2008inAbaanditssurroundingcrushedtheQiang.Itdamagedtheirhomesandvillagesintheprefecture,leavingmorethan20,000Qiangpeopledead,missingandseriouslyinjured.ThequakealsodestroyedtheQiang-stylemonumentssuchasDiaoloutowersandDiaojiaoloutowersalongwithmanyculturalheritages.ThedocumentaryshowcasesallthesetragiceventsandofferstheviewerinsightsintohowtheQiangpeoplearereconstructingtheirculturallife.
RestoringtheNewYearcelebration
YueliVillageinYanmenTown,WenchuanCountyofAbaisoneofthemostancientQiangvillagesinChina,aswellasthemainvenueforshootingThePeopleAbovetheClouds.Tenyearsago,apowerfulearthquakewipedoutanddestroyedmorethan90percentofthehousesinthatvillage.Butthankstothehelpfromthegovernmentandpeoplefromallwalksoflife,reconstructionisunderway.
ZhaoJiankang,29,isoneoftheparticipantsandwitnessesofthereconstructionefforts.Whentheearthquakestruck,hewasonlyaseniorstudentatalocalhighschool.Aftergraduationfromuniversity,hereturnedtohishometowntohelp.
“Qiangculturehasbeenhandeddownforthousandsofyears,andIdonotwantittodisappearinourgeneration,”saidZhao.“AsayoungmanofQiangethnicgroup,IthinkIshoulddosomething.”Returninghomein2015,ZhaoestablishedtheWenchuanAncientQiangCultureCo.Ltd.ThefirstthinghedidwastorestorethecelebrationceremonyoftheQiangNewYear,thegroup’smostimportantfestival,whichfallsonthefirstdayofthe10thmonthofChinesetraditionalcalendar.
“IrememberedwehadourlastQiangNewYearcelebrationinourvillagein1992,”recalledZhao.Fromthenon,therehadbeennosuchcelebrationheldinhishometownuntil2015.
Butitwasnoteasytore-launchthiscelebrationastheQiangpeopledonothavetheirownwrittenlanguage,andtheculturaltraditionshavebeenkeptalivebywordofmouth.TolearnmoreabouttheQiangNewYearcelebrationceremony,ZhaovisitedmanyplacesinWenchuan,LixianandMaoxiancounties,whicharemostlyinhabitedbytheethnicgroup,andwasabletodocumenteventsfirsthand.
Afteraboutoneyear’spreparation,thecelebrationwasheldonNovember11,2015,theeveofQiangNewYear,inYueliVillage.Zhaoinvitedmediatoreportonthecelebration,whichlastedfromtheafternoonto5:00inthemorningthenextday.
“ThisisthefirsttraditionalcelebrationofQiangNewYeararoundthisregionforsomanyyears,”Zhaoheavedasigh.
Governmentefforts
Zhao’sambitiongoesfarbeyondjustholdingthetraditionalcelebrationforQiangNewYear.Accordingtohim,itismoreimportanttoawakentheawarenessinrejuvenatingtheirtraditionalculture.
“Qiangbuildingsarethebearerofourculture,andourweddingsandfuneralswouldbemoretraditionalifheldinQiangbuildings,”saidZhao.Intheearthquake10yearsago,manyQiangbuildingsweretotallydestroyed.Startingin2016,hebegandocumentingreconstructionofthesebuildings.
Inaddition,ZhaoisworkingonthesustainabilityoftheShibiculture,thecoreoftheQiangculture.ShibiisthepriestinQiangtradition.Today,ZhaoandhisteamareassistingoldShibisinhisvillagetotrainsuccessors.Now,atotalof10youngpeoplearestudyingShibiculture.
ApartfromZhao’sefforts,thegovernmentalsoimprovedtheworkofrestoringculturesofethnicminoritiesindisaster-strickenareas.Soonaftertheearthquake,China’sMinistryofCulture,(predecessorofMinistryofCultureandTourism),establishedanecologicalprotectionexperimentalareaoftheQiangculture,coveringtheeightcountiesinSichuanProvincesuchasMaoxianCounty,WenchuanCountyandLixianCounty,aswellasNingqiangCountyandLueyangCountyinShaanxiProvince.
Overthepast10years,localgovernmentsfromvariouslevelsintheareahavecollectedandrestoredalargenumberofdocuments,audiosandvideosofintangibleculturalheritagesofQiangethnicgroupsoastokeepitaliveforposterity.
Localgovernmentsalsolaunched178culturalrestorationandreconstructionprojectswithinthearea,andabatchofQianginfrastructuressuchastheAncientQiangCityinMaoxianCounty,IntangibleCulturalHeritageExhibitionCenterofMaoxian,andFolkMuseumofBeichuanwerebuilt.Inaddition,alargenumberofQiangvillageshavealsobeenrenovatedsuchasTaopingQiangVillageinLixianCounty,HeihuQiangVillageinMaoxianCountyandJinaQiangVillageinBeichuanCounty.
Market-baseddevelopment
“InrescuingQiangculture,wearetakingmeasurestoprotectbothtangibleandintangibleculture,”saidYangGuoqing,ChairpersonofWenchuanFederationofLiteraryandArtCircles.
LiXingxiu,57,istheinheritorofQiangEmbroidery,anintangibleculturalheritageoftheQiangpeople.Shestudiedembroideryfromhermotherwhenshewas6.HerhometownMaoxianCountyisthelargestcountyinhabitedbyQiangpeopleandthecoreareaoftheirculture.Thecountywasalsoseriouslydamagedbytheearthquake.
“Beforetheearthquake,therewasnosuchtechnologycalledQiangEmbroidery.Wecalledourembroideryzahua,”saidLi.WhenshelearnedthattheMiaoethnicgrouphasMiaoEmbroidery,shealsonamedherembroideryQiangEmbroidery.Sheintendedtoregisterthenameatthelocaladministrationforindustryandcommerce.Unfortunately,thequakestruckbeforethiscouldhappen.“IwassofrightenedatthattimethatIforgotaboutmyregistrationoftheQiangEmbroidery,”sherecalled.
Fortunately,withstrongsupportfromthelocalgovernment,LihasnowsuccessfullyregisteredthenameQiangEmbroideryandwasrecommendedasoneoftheinheritorsoftheintangibleculturalheritage.
Backedbythelocalgovernment,LiandotherinheritorsofQiangEmbroiderystartedtoholdtrainingclassesinvariousplacesoftheprefecture.Trainingisfree,andoncetrained,craftspeoplecanearn500-600yuan($79-95)aday.
Duringthe10yearsaftertheearthquake,Lihastrainedmorethan20,000people.In2014,sheestablishedherowncompany.Twoyearslater,sheestablishedherproductionbaseinMaoxianCounty,providingjobsformorepeople.
“TodayinAba,youcanseemanypeople,includingmanyoldpeople,makeembroideryproducts.Theycanearnmoneyathome,”saidLi.“Foruswhosufferedfromtheearthquake,itisimportanttorelyonourselvesforrelief.”
Li’sQiangEmbroideryhasalsogoneglobal.Aftertheearthquake,theMinistryofCultureandtheSichuanCultureDepartmentorganizedexhibitionstoshowcaseQiangEmbroidery.LivisitedHolland,theUnitedStates,Canada,SouthKoreaandThailandtodemonstrateherskills.“WehavesincesignedcontractswithourcustomersintheUnitedStates,”shesaid.
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