China News Service, Taiyuan, September 29 (Lu Qiguo, Wei Shixin) On September 28, 10 intangible cultural heritage courtyards were opened to the public in the ancient city of Jiangzhou, Xinjiang County, Shanxi Province. Among them, 8 are ancient courtyards that have been renovated under the leadership of the government and operated by society, and 2 are private workshops built by inheritors of representative intangible cultural heritage projects based on their own courtyards. These courtyards are distributed in different streets and lanes of the ancient city, forming an intangible cultural heritage experience matrix of "one courtyard, one art".
Stone carving art courtyard. Photo by Gao Xinsheng
Xinjiang County is a national historical and cultural city. In the ancient city of Jiangzhou, three provincial-level historical and cultural blocks from Gongyuan Lane to Sanlou Yashu, Anzi Lane, and Changjia Hutong are integrated together, and 42 listed historical buildings are scattered among them.
In recent years, the local area has invested hundreds of millions of yuan in the rescue and protection of historical buildings and the improvement of neighborhood quality, revitalizing the resources of idle ancient courtyards, and allowing intangible cultural heritage studios, traditional teaching classrooms, and cultural experience centers to be located in old residences.
Liu Lei, member of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang County Party Committee and director of the Propaganda Department, introduced that the county implements a revitalization model of "government repairs, social recognition, intangible cultural heritage settlement, and passing on arts to benefit the people" to try to solve the problem of "only protecting but not using, only retaining but not revitalizing" ancient buildings.
No. 17 Zhongcheng Lane is a courtyard with the theme of Jiangtie calligraphy. It was originally the former residence of Liang Wanfang, the governor of Jiangzhou and a local cultural celebrity in the Qing Dynasty. The courtyard dates back 333 years and has a three-pronged layout. The 37 old houses remain as old as before, the centuries-old cave dwellings retain the earthy atmosphere, and the 11 functional rooms have simple furnishings.
Liang Yunxian, chairman of Xinjiang County Shengshi Real Estate Company, said: “The government invested 4 million yuan to carry out protective restoration of the main structure of the courtyard, and we invested 2 million yuan to build a cultural and tourism integrated ancient courtyard that integrates B&B accommodation, Jiangtie calligraphy, Jiali weddings, and study experience.”
Liang Yunxian said that what is on display in the hospital is a high-definition reproduction of the twelve-volume "Jiangtie" with gold inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty and collected by the Xinjiang County Library. The original stone carvings of "Jiangtie" carved in the Song Dynasty have long been lost. This set of replicas preserves the handwriting of more than 70 famous calligraphers from the Han, Wei, Tang and Song Dynasties. It also displays rubbings of stele inscriptions and study utensils from past dynasties, allowing visitors to copy with their pens.
In the Paper-cutting Art Courtyard No. 6 of Zhuangjiayao, paper-cut works with themes such as window grilles, happy flowers, solar terms patterns, folklore and other themes are hung all over the walls. Tourists sat around Duan Pengzhe, the inheritor of representative intangible cultural heritage items, and learned about traditional paper-cutting. The scissors fly, the red paper rotates, and ordinary paper turns into flowers, birds, and auspicious animals.
The Stone Sculpture Art Courtyard at No. 26 Wenmiao Road was transformed from an original ancient dwelling. The courtyard displays stone carving components of ancient buildings, folk stone carvings, stone lion plaques, and stone statue carvings. Intangible cultural heritage craftsman Jin Hui was carving and polishing in the workshop. Students and tourists stopped to watch. Some picked up chisels to experience the stone carving process.
A corner of the Chengni Inkstone-themed courtyard. Photo by Gao Xinsheng
The Chengni Inkstone themed courtyard at No. 19 Changjia Hutong was claimed by Xinjiang County Xinyiyuan Ferroalloy Co., Ltd. and invested 1 million yuan in decoration and construction. Jiangzhou Chengni Inkstone is one of the four famous inkstones in China, and all kinds of high-quality inkstones are neatly displayed. Here, visitors can touch the texture of the inkstone and listen to the explanation of the history of inkstone making.
The woodblock New Year painting courtyard at No. 15 Zhongcheng Lane, the embroidery Hanfu courtyard at No. 34 Zhuangjiayao, the pen and ink courtyard at Jiwenzhai at No. 9 Xiaojing Lane, and the folk customs courtyard at No. 26 Hanjia Lane... Each courtyard has a different intangible cultural heritage experience theme to meet different needs.
In addition to the 8 ancient courtyards that are open to the public, there are also two folk workshops built by inheritors of representative intangible cultural heritage projects in the ancient city based on their own courtyards that will be opened on the same day. The Yu Liangying Brush Workshop at No. 1 Zhongcheng Lane completely restores the entire process of ancient brush making, and visitors can experience combing and combing hair. The Huayunzhai Lacquer Carving Workshop at No. 10 Zhongcheng Lane is rooted in the old house, displaying lacquerware craftsmanship, and providing intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, lacquerware appreciation and purchase, and workshop experiences.
On the eve of National Day, research teams, photography enthusiasts and tourists from all over the country have entered Xinjiang one after another. The local culture and tourism department drew a check-in map of the intangible cultural heritage courtyards, marking the locations and theme businesses of each courtyard.
"The quiet courtyards are filled with people, the ancient streets and alleys are reborn with fireworks, and the static cultural relic buildings and the living intangible cultural heritage skills complement each other." Liu Lei said that Xinjiang County will continue to protect and revitalize old houses so that they can radiate the visible and tangible vitality of the times. (over)
