As the Spring Festival approaches, the festive atmosphere grows stronger. Overseas and out-of-town travelers are eagerly heading home to reunite with their families. The flavors of hometown cuisine, the warmth of family bonds, and the sound of native accents are all deeply missed by those living far from home. Returning to your hometown, take a moment to listen to the familiar local accent and immerse yourself in the rich, authentic charm of your roots.
Zhejiang Province is a hub of quyi (traditional Chinese performing arts), with over 49 provincial-level or higher intangible cultural heritage quyi programs. These storytelling and musical art forms, performed in regional dialects, have thrived in the land of Zhejiang for over a century. Originating in the late Qing Dynasty, Hangzhou Xiaorehun is a national-level intangible cultural heritage quyi program, while Shaoxing Lianhuale, with its classic charm reminiscent of the Jiangnan water towns, is also a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage item. What kind of magic will unfold when these two heritage quyi forms meet a flash mob performance by the millennia-old Grand Canal?
On January 11th, along the canal near Gongchen Bridge in Hangzhou, the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, in collaboration with the Music FM 968 station under Zhejiang Radio & Television Group, launched a New Year’s non-heritage quyi flash mob event — “Sing a Mountain Song to the Party.” This performance features the Vice President of the China Quyi Artists Association, President of the Zhejiang Quyi Artists Association, and renowned Shaoxing Lianhuale performer Weng Renkang; National First-Class Actor and national representative inheritor of Hangzhou Xiaorehun Zhou Zhihua; seventh-generation Xiaorehun successor and outstanding young performer from the Hangzhou Opera and Comedy Art Theater Jin Yige, who join hosts from Music FM 968’s program “Zhejiang Fine Tunes – Aerial Storytelling Stage,” to perform “Sing a Mountain Song to the Party” using both Hangzhou Xiaorehun and Shaoxing Lianhuale, allowing audiences to experience the artistic brilliance of these two national-level intangible heritage quyi forms collaborating live. There will also be demonstrations by masters of non-heritage crafts, showcasing colorful clay tigers, hand-printed woodblock New Year paintings, shadow puppetry, and more, highlighting the allure of traditional skills. When non-heritage quyi meets the flash mob format, what ignites is not only the boundless charm of these art forms but also the enduring cultural legacy and deep-seated hometown sentiment passed down through generations in this land.