On July 10th, the team members of the practice team came to Enshi, Hubei Province from all over the place, and then proceeded from Enshi to Longshan County. Enshi is a tourist city in western Hubei. There are many tourists and the city is also very good. Longshan County is a remote small county located at the junction of Hunan and Hubei. Whether it is Enshi or Longshan, this area is a traditional Tujia cultural area. From Enshi to Longshan, the main mode of transportation is to take a small passenger bus and travel for two or three hours on the mountain road.
Longshan is like a pearl that has been forgotten in the world. It is a border town. The county town is built on a river bank in the middle of the mountain, surrounded by rivers and bridges. On the other side of the water, I still lie down in Laifeng County, Hubei Province. Longshan is a border town. It is a corner of Hunan. It is a symbiosis with the brothers and counties in Hubei. It is the southwestern official language, which preserves the customs of the Tujia people. This is a gap between the cultural plates.
The prosperous business is like a bridge river that continuously injects vitality into the county. Longshan is a small town that is both traditional and enlightened. The person in charge of contacting the good propaganda department in advance warmly received us and helped us to contact the various units. With their help, we also got the contact list of the inheritors of Longshan County. In the days that follow, we will visit them to understand their current situation and listen to their opinions.
The masters in the martial arts are always invisible in the city, like the "Kung Fu", the Tan legs, the iron fist, the gossip in the pig cage. In an alley in the north of Longshan County, Wang Shihui, the master of bamboo carving, lives. A small building is his residence and studio and showroom. "Yueyang Tower", "Tujia Cottage", "Chinese Dream" and other works are both magnificent and nuanced. There is also a thousand worlds in the small building, and the old man’s heart also has an immortal bamboo sculpture dream.
The county town in the mountain is not big. With the water, there is an aura, and the water gives the soul and life of the county. In the south of the county, Li Qiumei’s “museum” is close to the bridge river. The river is like a brocade, rolling up a splendid small town, and the brocade is like a river, passing through a long history. The Tujia Brocade Museum was built by a pair of hands of Teacher Li Qiumei. What kind of magic is there on this hand? The joy of dressing out the bride and groom, weaving the blessings of the children, weaving the joy of harvest, weaving the enthusiasm for the plain life.
We also received a warm welcome from the Biczka Performing Arts Company (Hand-Dancing School) in the county town. This is an official institution that has become a cultural enterprise after the reform of the unit-to-enterprise. The staff let the team members experience the feelings of a Tujia family wearing the traditional costumes of the Tujia. The conversation with the manager also made us understand the struggle and efforts of Longshan people in contemporary culture.
The County Cultural Center is the most prosperous intersection in the county. The home of Yang Wenming’s teacher is here. Teacher Yang Wenming told us about his encounter with Tujia gongs and drums, and decades of academic experience. We also showed us the tricks on the spot, let us enjoy a piece of the game. The old artists are full of enthusiasm for the skill of playing the slipper, and they are also very caring and caring for young people. After years of vicissitudes and the heart of a child, with a stunt and approachable, this is the style of the old artist.
Longshan County is already a glimpse of the world, starting from Longshan and going to an ancient town, Liye, with great scenery along the way. In the deep mountains of Liye, there is an emperor who is the teacher of Tujia Tengma Peng Jilong. In the Tujia language, Tema is a witch doctor and a mage. They often sing songs when they practice, that is, the epic of the Tujia. In the specific context of history, the inheritance of this folk custom is bound to be more difficult. Counting the white beards of the elderly, you will know the ups and downs of life, and you will know the legendary story in the Tamar.
The core of this social practice is the protection of traditional folklore. The core is to visit the first line of traditional folk protection - the inheritor. They are the combination of civil spontaneous and government support. The original is the official concept, but behind it is the cultural vitality of the people, the artist and the people's confidence and love for their own culture. This is the biggest force for the protection of traditional culture. This is what we did not expect.
The most precious treasures of human beings are stories, history, and culture. There are stories behind them. There are countless stories about traditional culture. Together with the stories of the inheritors and our stories, I hope that they will be remembered forever.
