Village tackles cultural tremors
- Source: Global Times
- [02:55 May 12 2010]
- Comments
Shen Guizi (right), 70, shows Zhu Yihong, a Qiang ethnic woman, how to weave Tuesday. Some senior citizens are concerned that many young people are no longer interested in preserving the folk art. Photo: An Baijie
By An Baijie in Beichuan
Two years after a deadly earthquake changed Wenchuan forever, there are few signs in the Qiang autonomous prefecture in Beichuan that the streets there were once covered in rubble.
The local government is promoting the local ethnic culture as a way of driving reconstruction. But it's not so simple as is the case in one village.
The younger generation is less enthusiastic and some culture and crafts unique to the Qiang people are losing admirers.
The local government of Leigu township built scores of villas and forts using Qiang ethnic style in Jina Qiang village in an effort to transform the quake zone into a tourist attraction.
The village, which houses 71 families, half being Qiang ethnic, was heavily damaged by the earthquake in 2008 where 69 houses collapsed and 26 villag-ers died.
No signs of the earthquake are visible in the village. The houses and forts were built fast, especially after Premier Wen Jiabao visited the village during Spring Festival in 2009.
But the earthquake also changed how people live today.
All their farms were seized to build new houses or were turned into lawns. The villagers are not involved in farming or breed goats now like they did two years ago. The animal, a sacred one and a totem in Qiang culture, is a rare scene now.
Many people opened tourist shops and others work on construction sites.
Tang Qiongxiu, 38, a woman, who owns a shop in the village, told the Global Times Tuesday that the newly built homes are in Qiang ethnic style, but the materials used are not traditional Qiang style.
"The new houses were built with bricks and cement, instead of stone and wood as we has used before," Tang said. "The Qiang people had an amazing ability to build stone walls, but they love the newly built ones much more because the new houses have a more modern design and are more comfortable to live in."
"The traditional culture should be preserved through museums, and modern Qiang people should lead a modern lifestyle," Tang said.
But some people felt a loss.
Liu Jinzi, 64, told the Global Times Tuesday that she feels sad that many ethnic cultures are on the verge of extinction.
In order to preserve the traditional Qiang ethnic culture, the Leigu government invited Liu and 70-year-old Shen Guizi to teach weaving to the young and middle-aged women, but few women expressed interest.
"It's too difficult and too boring to learn the weaving craft," said Zhu Yihong, a 43-year-old Qiang ethnic woman who was learning from Liu about how to weave a belt with 100 threads.
"It took a skilled woman at least three days to weave a belt, which could be sold at about 100 yuan ($14.6); but if a woman works at the construction site, she could earn 60 yuan ($8.7) per day." Zhu said."
For most Qiang ethnics, although the government supported them in many ways, they need to make as much money as possible to cover daily expenses, Zhu added.
Apart from weaving, most folk songs may never be heard by the new generation, as Qiang people do not have their own character to record them.
"It's a pity that the younger generation just lives for fun," Liu said. "They would rather sell souvenirs and play mahjong than study our traditional arts and craft."
