Intangible cultural heritage inheritors in Yantai gain national recognition

China's Ministry of Culture has announced a list of artists with the official responsibility of carrying forward the country's representative intangible cultural heritage.

Five inheritors of intangible cultural heritage in Yantai were included in the list, bringing the total number of Yantai artists in the list to nine.

Zhu Daxiang was recognized as one of the representative inheritors of "Changdao yuhao", or work songs sung by fishermen in the Changdao county of Yantai. The work song dates back to more than 380 years. With simple lyrics, the work song can synchronize movements when fishermen are engaged in heavy manual labor. In 2008, it was included in the list of the second batch of the national intangible cultural heritage.

Fishermen chant "Changdao yuhao" in the Changdao county of Yantai, to synchronize movements. [Photo/WeChat account: ytswgxj]

Sheng Yubin and Yu Xin were recognized as representative inheritors of "Haiyang yangko", a folk dance that traces back to 1425 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). At first, it was performed solely at the sea sacrifice festival. It has been included in the compulsory education in Haiyang, a county-level city under the governance of Yantai.