Meet With Culture | Magic at Fingertips: Experiencing Intangible Cultural Heritage of China

A city of historical profundity, Beijing boasts a unique cultural appeal condensed over time. This appeal comes from a wide range of intangible cultural heritage items with artistic creativity. 

Qianmen Street, as an epitome of the city of historical significance, has long embodied the various lifestyles and cultures of people from different regions since ancient times. It also carries rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage items. It is because of their integration that has promoted the cultural diversity of the Chinese nation. 

Sugar-figurine blowing is a traditional craft that has been handed down for generations. Originating in the Ming Dynasty, it has a history of several hundred years. The craft emphasizes shaping and blowing rhythms, which has strict requirements for the craftsman’s skills. On June 7, 2008, sugar-figurine blowing was listed among the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage in China. 

The difficulty of making sugar figurines lies in the control of temperature and timing. Although the molten syrup prepared by sugar-figurine craftsmen is highly malleable, it is also unstable. Once a sugar figurine cannot be completed in a short period of time, the syrup will harden due to the low temperature. Once a sugar figurine is shaped, the syrup will solidify quickly, making it impossible to modify its shape.

Lacquering is a complicated intangible cultural heritage item that requires superb skills. The diluted lacquer used for dyeing can help the pigments float on the water. Dyed in the mixture of pigments, each fan has unique patterns, some looking like freehand paintings and others being figurative. Those fans become craftworks with various styles under the hands of different producers.

Shadow puppetry has a long history and can be found in various places of China. A variety of genres have been formed in more than 20 provinces and cities across the country due to the different dialects and singing styles.

Beijing shadow puppetry originated in the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty. With unique expression techniques, it is different from shadow puppetry genres in other regions in terms of performance technique, singing style, and puppet design. Its singing style absorbs elements from northern Kunqu opera, Peking opera, and other folk arts, forming its own unique style. It boasts exaggerated performing techniques, and pays attention to details of the movements, which makes the performance very realistic.

The history of Qianmen Street can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, and the intangible cultural heritage items it passes on are the common wealth of humanity. They depict the unique charm of the Chinese nation and inherit the essence of craftsmanship in different eras. Intangible cultural heritage opens up a dialogue across time and space, allowing ancient wisdom to bloom in the new era and inspiring every individual today to explore the past and the future.

(Executive Producer: Wang Xiaohui; Production Supervisor: Xue Lisheng; Line Producer: Yu Li; Chief Planner: Ding Suyun, Cao Chuanchuan; Planner: Li Ying; Translator: Liu Haile)