BEIJING, June 19,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi
Jinping has emphasized the need to strengthen support for the
inheritance and protection of China's intangible cultural heritage, as well
as enhancing research into the historical culture of ethnic
minorities, thereby consolidating the sense of community for the
Chinese nation.
In recent years, the Jilin City Manchu Museum in Northeast China's Jilin Province has been delving and actively
passing on intangible cultural heritage, integrating it into the
lives of the people and continuously promoting the essence of
Manchu history and culture through innovative development.
Showcasing rich history
Upon entering the Jilin City Manchu Museum, a bronze sculpture
of a soaring gyrfalcon atop a large natural rock captures the
attention of visitors. The sculpture represents traditional Manchu
falconry.
"Here, we can see the Manchu script in the Jilin Manchu Exhibit.
The style is unique, isn't it? There is a saying about the Manchu
script: a stick in the middle, thorns on both sides, with circles
and dots, that's Manchu writing. Let me read it in Manchu for you,"
a guide says as she takes a group of students on a study tour.
Study tours or educational trips combine learning with travel.
These trips are designed to provide students with practical
knowledge and hands-on experiences outside the traditional
classroom setting. At the exhibition hall of the museum, the
students' eyes are filled with curiosity as they focus on the
Manchu script.
The museum is located within the former residence of Wang
Baichuan. The residence itself is a provincial-level protected
relic. It is the only remaining intact classic courtyard house in
Jilin dating from the Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911) to the Republic of
China (1912-1949).
Covering an area of 3,000 square meters, it mainly showcases the
Jilin Manchu Exhibit, highlighting local and ethnic culture. It has
become a popular attraction, receiving nearly 220,000 visitors in
2023.
"Jilin city was originally
called Girin ula, one of the important birthplaces of the Manchu
people," explains Zhang Hanbing, director of the museum.
Girin ula is a Manchu phrase meaning "city along the river,"
referring to the area now spread along the Songhua River in
Jilin. The ancestry of the Manchus
can be traced back more than 2,000 years to the Sushen tribe that
lived prior to the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), and later to the Mohe
and Nüzhen tribes that existed during the Tang (618-907) and Song
(960-1279) dynasties. Many ancestors of the Manchu people thrived
on this land.
During the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, Jilin established a General's Office
responsible for tribute to the imperial court and built factories.
Generals were appointed and a provincial capital was set up. An
inland river navy was established here, and temples for sacrifices
were built. This area became one of the political, military,
economic, and cultural centers of the Qing Dynasty's northeastern
frontier.
"Jilin has many precious
historical and cultural relics, but they were not fully utilized
previously," Zhang said.
In 2009, the museum was established with support from the local
government. Over the past 15 years, the museum has continuously
explored local cultural heritage and improved its exhibits, setting
up eight exhibition halls, with long-term exhibitions such as
Tracing Manchu Roots and Manchu Production and Living Customs.
These exhibitions comprehensively cover Manchu history and
intangible cultural heritage, fully showcasing the rich history and
culture of the Manchu people.
Additionally, the museum has enriched its collection by
soliciting various artifacts that reflect the long-standing history
and culture of the Manchu people in Jilin. The museum now houses over 2,000
items.
These collections provide a panorama of the development of the
Manchu people from the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589) to
the present, presenting the culture and customs of the Manchu
people in daily life, including education, entertainment, and
sacrificial activities.
"Artifacts form exhibitions, and exhibitions represent history,"
Zhang said. "We hope to showcase the diligent, simple, brave, and
generous image of the Manchu people through these memorable symbols
and authentic historical items."
Lively inheritance of intangible cultural heritage
During a live performance of intangible cultural heritage at the
museum, Shi Guanghua, a shaman cultural inheritor, dances to the
music dressed in traditional shamanic attire, with copper bells
around his waist producing crisp sounds as his clothes sway.
"What I just performed is the ancestral worship ceremony of the
Shi family, a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in
Jilin," Shi told reporters after
the performance.
Shaman culture showcases the traditional customs of the Manchu
language, dance, etiquette and diet. The Shi family shaman culture,
with its nearly 400 years of written history, is among the
best.
"I started learning shamanic rituals at home when I was in my
teens, but I always thought these traditions were a family matter
and never considered bringing them into a museum," Shi answered
when asked about his connection to the Manchu Museum as the 12th
generation inheritor of the Shi family shaman ritual.
Previously, he worked in other cities to make a living, viewing
shaman customs as a family responsibility.
His thinking changed in 2009. That year, the Jilin City Manchu
Museum was established, and the then-director actively sought out
Shi, inviting him to conduct intangible cultural heritage
performances at the museum, saying, "The museum is not just 'amber'
that preserves past history, the living inheritance of intangible
cultural heritage is also very important. The shaman culture passed
down by the Shi family for centuries is a 'living fossil' in this
field. We need special talents like you."
Finally, Shi chose to join the museum.
He said that he felt confused at the beginning.
"Previously, our family's shaman culture was confined within our
family and had little interaction with the outside world."
Shi recalled that at the time, not only did his family not
understand, but he also had not fully shaken off the mind-set of
"family inheritance." He was initially very resistant to the idea
of intangible cultural heritage performances.
As his work continued, Shi's thinking continued to change. He
realized that his family's culture was being noticed by so many
people and that it reflected many traditional Manchu customs.
"With the platform provided by the Jilin City Manchu Museum, not
only have we promoted and developed the Shi family's shaman
heritage, but we have also brought traditional Manchu customs to
the attention of more people. I am now very proud and full of
enthusiasm," Shi said.
Today, the Jilin City Manchu Museum has become a well-known
institution for the study and inheritance of shaman culture,
attracting many shaman culture researchers from home and abroad
every year for fieldwork and exchanges.
The "Shi's Drum Music" from Shi's family has also become a
city-level intangible cultural heritage project.
"Turning my hobby into a career gave me more confidence to
invest time and energy into it," Shi said.
Entering people's lives
At Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, a
unique "Traditional Culture into Campus" event is underway.
At the podium, Yang Chao,
director of the education department of the Jilin City Manchu
Museum, is discussing the close ties between Jilin's history and Manchu culture. Seated in
the audience, more than 70 teachers and students from the
university listen intently to his words.
In April, the Jilin City Manchu Museum and Jilin Agricultural
Science and Technology University signed a cooperation agreement to
jointly build an education base to consolidate the sense of
community for the Chinese nation.
"This event is just a snapshot of our cooperation," Yang
said.
This kind of cooperation integrates Manchu culture into the
lives and work of a broader audience effectively, which is of
profound significance for the inheritance and development of Manchu
culture.
"Museums should not only 'invite people in' but also actively
'go out' and combine Manchu history and culture with contemporary
people's lives," Zhang said.
To this end, the Jilin City Manchu Museum has been building the
"Walking Museum" brand since 2014, bringing the museum's cultural
resources into schools and communities.
In 2023, the "Walking Museum" program held 20 campus events and
six community events. So far, the "Walking Museum" program has
reached more than 60 primary and secondary schools in Jilin.
Bringing the museum into people's lives also encourages more
people to come to the museum in search of deeper experiences.
"Now, the museum receives an average of about 3,000 visitors per
day, and during peak holiday periods, nearly 10,000 people visit
the museum in a single day," Zhang said.
To meet the diverse needs of visitors to the greatest extent,
the museum offers a variety of activities, including "Manchu Museum
Studies," "Museum and Parent-Child Education," and the "Manchu New
Year." About 200 events are held each year at the museum.
In addition to offline activities, the Jilin City Manchu Museum
also extends its activities online, opening new channels for
cultural dissemination.
In 2023, nine online events were held by the museum, such as
those showcasing Manchu clothing over the century, achieving
multi-dimensional and multi-form cultural benefits for more
people.
"We are thinking about expanding the museum's building area,"
Zhang said, sharing his future plans with reporters.
"By then, we will invite intangible cultural heritage inheritors
including Manchu paper-cutting inheritors into the museum to
regularly perform and sell their works. We will only charge for
expenses such as water and electricity, allowing visitors to
experience the authentic living heritage and turning the
inheritors' passion into tangible income, promoting the sustainable
inheritance and development of Manchu history and intangible
cultural heritage," said Zhang.
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SOURCE Global Times