Tong Yanting: Building a bridge connecting the two sides of the Taiwan Strait on the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Map"

　　"There are woodblock New Year paintings in Laohekou, Yunmeng shadow puppets in Xiaogan, and Tongshan wood carvings in Xianning..." If someone asks Tong Yanting what intangible cultural heritage (hereinafter referred to as "intangible cultural heritage") skills are in Hubei and who is inheriting these skills, she You can keep as many treasures as you like. Tong Yanting is a "third generation Taiwan compatriot" who grew up in Wuhan and is now the deputy director of the Youth Committee of the Taiwan League Central Committee. At the same time, she is also a young university teacher who has been engaged in intangible cultural heritage research for a long time. She has a clear "Hubei intangible cultural heritage map" in her heart. In recent years, Tong Yanting has been committed to promoting cross-Strait intangible cultural cultural exchanges, allowing more and more young people from both sides to join the team of intangible cultural heritage protection and inheritance.

Tong Yanting. Photo provided by interviewee

"Intangible Cultural Heritage Base" promotes cross-strait exchanges

　　"Hubei is a cultural rich mine, with 127 national-level intangible cultural heritage items and 546 provincial-level intangible cultural heritage items." Tong Yanting, a young teacher at the School of Art and Design of Wuhan University of Technology, has been engaged in research on intangible cultural heritage for a long time. She introduced to reporters "There are currently more than 700 students from Taiwan in various universities in Wuhan. Most of them are new to the mainland and know very little about the real Chinese history and splendid Chinese culture." This made her realize that she "must do something." "Things": "It is necessary to let Taiwanese students in mainland understand China's intangible cultural heritage."

　　How to know? Are you taking students to make related products and experience intangible cultural heritage? Or should we let them explore and innovate actively in the world of intangible cultural heritage? Tong Yanting chose the latter. "When it comes to making traditional handicraft products that are intangible cultural heritage, students are definitely better than me. So I think what craftsmen and students on both sides of the Taiwan Strait need more is actually a platform for communication and exchange."

　　In 2019, driven by Tong Yanting, the "National Taiwan Federation Cross-Strait Intangible Cultural Inheritance and Development Exchange Research Base" (hereinafter referred to as the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Base"), awarded by the All-China Taiwan Compatriots Association, was officially established at Wuhan University of Technology. Tong Yanting's "worry" subsequently came to light, and this place gradually became an important base for Taiwanese students studying in Wuhan to explore intangible cultural heritage.

Tong Yanting introduced Hubei’s traditional carved paper-cutting to the students of the Confucius Institute in Luxembourg. Photo provided by interviewee

The "Yingshan Tangled Flower" in Taisheng's circle of friends

　　The intangible cultural heritage base is not only a creative base for students, but also a "bridge" jointly built by the United Front Work Department of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Hubei Provincial Taiwan Federation, Wuhan University of Technology and other units. On this "bridge", Tong Yanting took Taiwanese students into Xiangyang and Yingshan intangible cultural heritage project bases in Tangcheng, and participated in the Hubei Wuhan Taiwan Week Hubei intangible cultural heritage viewing and experience activities, "Cultural and Educational Innovation·Intangible Cultural Heritage Empowerment" There have been more than 10 activities including cross-strait university intangible cultural heritage forums, attracting more than 50,000 participants from both sides of the strait.

　　When they come to the mainland, Taiwanese students can travel to various places in Hubei with the intangible cultural heritage base to explore and learn intangible cultural heritage skills; when they return to Taiwan, they can show their handmade intangible cultural heritage handicrafts to their relatives and friends.

　　"Tanghua, which has the same origin as Taiwan, is proof of the close relationship between the two sides. I want to bring Tanghua back to Taiwan to share familiar memories." You Hanyuan, a Taiwanese student who once studied at the School of Economics at Wuhan University of Technology, said in the third After participating in the exchange activities organized by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Base and making a "Yingshan Tangled Flower" in Yingshan, Hubei Province, he wrote this paragraph in his circle of friends and took the initiative to promote Yingshan Tangled Flower and intangible cultural heritage culture to his relatives and friends.

Cross-Strait creative competition promotes the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage

　　As more and more intangible cultural heritage handicraft inheritors come to the intangible cultural heritage base for exchanges, Tong Yanting begins to realize that its "activation and protection" is more important than letting intangible cultural heritage be "seen".

　　Preserve tradition regardless of returns or make corresponding changes to pursue economic benefits? How to reverse the situation that some intangible cultural heritage crafts are not practical in real life? How to make intangible cultural heritage production skills recognized by young people and further passed on spontaneously? How to recreate the usage scenarios of traditional intangible cultural heritage crafts and exert the due cultural influence... A series of questions followed. "In fact, the core of these problems is to solve the contradictions between inheritance and protection, innovation and development. Cultural and creative products may be a 'high-quality window' to resolve these contradictions." Tong Yanting said.

　　With the support of cross-Strait groups and organizations such as the All-China Federation of Taiwan Federations and the Taiwan Traditional Ethical Culture Development Association, she planned and held the "Chinese Award" Cross-Strait Intangible Cultural and Creative Design Competition, encouraging students to create Guangdong-Taiwan exchange mascot IP, "Rabbit Father Cake Betting" "Game" visual design and other products, this design competition has become a new driving force for intangible cultural exchanges.

　　"From the launch of the China Awards in 2019 to this year, the number of works we received has quadrupled compared to the first session." Tong Yanting said, "This also allows us to see that behind the active cross-strait intangible cultural heritage exchanges, It is an emotional and cultural identity that cannot be separated from compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait."

In the future, exchanges between cross-Strait intangible cultural heritage craftsmen will also be promoted

　　If studying intangible cultural heritage is Tong Yanting’s “main business”, then performing duties based on her expertise is her “main responsibility”.

　　Since 2017, Tong Yanting has served part-time as the vice president of the Hubei Provincial Taiwan Federation; from 2022, she will also serve as the deputy chairman of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Taiwan Federation. She actively participated in the research on "Deepening the Reform of the Educational System" of the Central Committee of the Taiwan League, and wrote the proposal "Strengthening the Discipline Construction of Colleges and Universities and Promoting the Inheritance and Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage". She also wrote her research on the elements and symbols of the Spring Festival into a report "Strengthening the Spring Festival Graphics" "Symbol Research to Improve the Influence of Chinese Festival and Custom Culture", submitted to the Central Committee of the Taiwan League...

　　"It is my duty to give advice and suggestions." Tong Yanting pays attention to the protection and development of cross-strait intangible cultural heritage and cross-strait cultural exchanges, and has written more than 20 high-quality proposals for political participation and social conditions and public opinion survey reports. She also said: "In the future, we are also preparing to organize research and training in Taiwan to open the 'door' for exchanges between cross-strait intangible cultural heritage craftsmen, work with them to create new cultural and creative products, and make new contributions to promoting cross-strait cultural exchanges." (End) (Reported by Liu Yiling, author of "China News")