[Hu Minzhong] On Intangible Culture

Executive summary: Intangible culture mainly refers to various cultural forms or forms with national and folk traditions that are expressed and inherited through dynamic ways such as oral narration and personal behavior.

The essential feature of intangible culture is the dynamic or lively nature of its expression and inheritance.

Intangible culture belongs to national culture, folk culture, traditional culture and farming culture, but does not belong to mainstream culture, upper-class culture, elite culture and official culture.

Intangible culture has national, folk, internal stability, spontaneity, non-ideological and conventionality.

Intangible cultural activities have the function of self-entertainment, are a link that unites people's hearts, a bridge to communicate thoughts and feelings, an important window to show the inner world of villagers, and an important way to recognize national history and inherit national culture.

Today, many intangible cultures are in danger of being lost, and we must attach great importance to the protection of intangible culture.

Why should intangible culture be expressed and passed down through dynamic and living methods rather than material methods? There may be several reasons: First, it is difficult to fully express the dynamic and lively nature of intangible culture and the cultural connotations it expresses in material ways, such as the skills and level of telling folk stories and the scenes told.

Words are difficult to express.

Second, some ethnic groups have only language but no writing, and their culture can only adopt intangible forms of expression.

Even ethnic groups with spoken and written languages are on the margins of mainstream culture, with low writing levels, and their culture is mostly dynamic and living.

Third, there is a process for the emergence of material culture.

Before that, the oral and other living expression and inheritance of this culture began.

Because living expression and inheritance are fast and convenient, it takes a period of time to adopt material expression and inheritance.

(5) Intangible culture belongs to farming culture-intangible cultural activities are an important way to understand national history and inherit national culture.

The intangible culture existing in the people has a long historical tradition.

For example, the "Meng Opera" in Guangchang, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province, the Nuo Dance in Nanfeng, and the Arhat Lantern in Dongxiang have a history of hundreds or even thousands of years.

These intangible cultures have been passed down to this day over a long history, not through records in classics or the solidification of material materials, but through dynamic or living methods such as oral and spiritual teachings from generation to generation.

The history and culture of the nation, the unique production methods and lifestyles of the nation, the psychology and emotions of the nation, the beliefs and pursuits, etc.

are all passed down through this dynamic or living way.

The younger generation's understanding of the history and culture of the nation and interpretation are also carried out through these living intangible cultural activities.

Intangible cultural activities are jointly participated by men, women and children of the village's own ethnic group.

In this cultural activity, the elderly consciously or unconsciously pass on this culture to the next generation, and the young people also recognize the history of the nation and inherit the culture of the nation.

This is the case with the performance of national dances and the narration of oral literature.

There is also a situation where older people deliberately pass on intangible culture to the next generation.

This is the case with the inheritance of national crafts.

For example, Dai paper-cutting, Yao embroidery, and Batik of Buyi in Anshun, Guizhou, have their own national characteristics, regardless of their craftsmanship and skills, or the color and style of their handicrafts.

It is impossible for any advanced intelligent machine production to replace them.

Handmade, therefore, their inheritance can only be carried out in the form of oral transmission.

While young people learn folk crafts, they also understand and inherit the history and culture of their own nation.