Folk cultures seminar held in Tai'an

A seminar on Mount Tai's folk cultures took place on Dec 3 at the foot of Mount Tai. 

The event was attended by over 20 experts, scholars, and artisans from various folk culture fields.

During the seminar, the participants interacted and exchanged ideas on the inheritance and development of Mount Tai's folk culture, specifically Mount Tai shadow puppetry, Mount Tai clay sculpture, Mount Tai incense art, and Mount Tai shigandang culture. 

Mount Tai shadow puppetry has a history of over 600 years and is a representative form of Chinese shadow puppetry. It stands out among numerous shadow puppetry genres with its exquisite carvings, skillful performance techniques, and melodious songs. 

"As the inheritor of Mount Tai shadow puppetry, I will continue to explore its contemporary value, seeking points of connection between traditional culture and modern life, and promoting innovation and development while preserving it," said Fan Zheng'an, the sixth generation inheritor of Mount Tai shadow puppetry. 

The event also featured an exhibition area for intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and cultural creative products. Displays of jade carving, paper cutting, gourd carving, sugar painting, and shadow puppetry were on show. 

In recent years, Taishan district of Tai'an has been bolstering efforts to preserve and explore traditional Chinese culture. 

The district currently has one national ICH item, four provincial-level ICH items, 44 municipal-level ICH items, and 80 district-level ICH items and 53 inheritors. Additionally, there are four municipal inheritance and education bases and five workshops for ICH.

Visitors look at figures for Mount Tai shadow puppetry. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]