Online broadcasting breathes new life to intangible cultural heritage promotion

Intangible cultural heritage inheritors, scholars and representatives from online streaming companies discuss the ICH promotion at the meeting, Sept 1, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Vice-president of Douyu Yuan Gang said ICH online streaming has a high demand on the internet. Many people, especially youngsters have a great interest in the field. He welcomed the inheritors to give an online broadcasting of their skills on their platform.

Xiao Fang, a scholar specialized in traditional Chinese culture from the Beijing Normal University, praised promoting ICH via online streaming.

"It is a fusion of the modern and the traditional. This kind of bold attempt can more intensively and widely promote ICH," Xiao said.

On the ICH promotion, online broadcasting has proved its capability. Lu Xiangao said other modern technologies, including VR and AR, can also be applied in the promotion to attract more people.

Gong Pengpeng, director-general of the Chinese Seal Cutting Research School of Chinese National Academy of Arts, introduced a series of creative promotions and exhibitions of seal cutting.

"As the definition of ICH says, intangible cultural heritage must be connected with people's daily lives," she said at the meeting.

"They are being created and performed, rather than something that has existed. In the past, seal cutting works were simply hanged on the wall and let visitors appreciate. However, we creatively breathed new life to the arts by using installation arts and modern digital technology."

Gong showed slides of her school's past exhibitions of seal cuttings that successfully won both the visitors and awards.

According to Gong, their promotion of seal cuttings extended to the market. Tea pots, clothes and many products printed with seal cuttings have become available to buyers. Their promotion of seal cutting has bond the intangible cultural heritage closely with people's everyday life.

Chen Tong, director-general of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture, wrapped up the meeting and expressed his wish to promote China's great cultural heritage by more creative and modern ways to a higher level.