Bringing Wenjiang people closer to art and culture
Updated: 2011-11-14 07:54
By Zhao Xie (China Daily)
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Showing their artistic talent on a newly built stage in Liucheng. [Photos provided to China Daily] |
The capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu, has been known as a "land of plenty" for thousands of years, so it's a place where people can easily find ways to meet both their material and spiritual needs.
Enjoying a life of abundance and leisure, locals there have a natural love of arts and culture. This is particularly true of the Wenjiang district in Chengdu's northwestern suburbs.
Wenjiang is known for a brilliant culture that has lasted for more than 4 millenniums.
It was the birthplace of the ancient Yufu Kingdom dating back to more than 4,000 years ago. A lot of cultural relics belonging to this period have been discovered in Wenjiang and its neighboring areas, indicating a civilization that could parallel any ancient civilization in the central part of China.
Wenjiang is also a place that had offered inspiration to the nation's renowned poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu and Lu You, who left a lot of poems praising the area's nature and culture.
Today the people there still maintain a love of local culture - for example, the popular operas of teahouses and the folk songs and dances performed on the streets and the countryside.
The locals find a simple happiness for themselves in the humblest performances, such as Baba dance and folk songs as well as their own dramatic creations.
Baba is a type of street dance that combines folk elements with Western-style dance.
And other popular arts there also include the E'e Lantern and Ox Lantern dances.
Wenjiang has more than 100 culture and art groups performing year round.
The district government has lent its support to these local inclinations and has spent more than 30 million yuan on cultural facilities in its 10 townships and 111 villages, since 2009.
As a result, the residents there can have access to at least one such facility within 10 minutes' walk.
One of the areas to benefit, Liucheng, received 1.2 million to build an indoor performing arts facility at Biluo Lake Park, and the area now has more than 20 performing arts groups.
Hu Guangming, a retired government official who is well versed in several musical instruments, now heads the Baihua Art Troupe, which is made up of elderly art devotees.
"Before we had the Liucheng stage, it wasn't easy for us to find a proper place to perform," Hu said.
Since this past May, when the stage opened, it has seen at least one performance every day.
"To qualify for the chance to play on stage, we have to do our very best," Hu said, with a sly smile.
Liucheng's stage is not the only such facility it has. There are also about two-dozen arts centers in the area that cater to the needs of locals.
In Zhengzong, a residential community in Wenjiang, has eight performing arts groups for people of all ages.
Li Suqin, who is one of the community's "rural choir" members, said, "When I was a child, I dreamt of being a singer - and now my dream has come true."
Local officials have said that these grassroots activities are a helpful way to improve the morale and quality of life of the locals.
Zhengzong even has a children's theater that has put on some story plays that tell the younger generation about China's traditions and merits and teach them ethics and proper behavior.
Li Suqin, the choir member, who is in her 60s, said the performances make everyone feel younger and more energetic.
"As members of the choir, the old guys have begun to pay more attention to their dress and behavior and we're all looking nicer and more elegant."
