On July 26th, the team of Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation heading to Yanbian, Sichuan, walked into the Lisu Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Inheritance Center in Yanbian County, Panzhihua City. They immersively explored the unique charm of Lisu traditional culture and had in-depth dialogues with local ICH inheritors on the inheritance and innovative development of ICH, injecting new ideas into the high-quality development of Yanbian County's ICH industry.

Exploring Lisu Cultural Treasures and Feeling the Crystallization of Ethnic Wisdom

In the Lisu ICH Inheritance Center of Yanbian County, colorful Lisu costumes shone brightly in the display cabinets. Their exquisite embroidery craftsmanship, vivid color matching, and unique cultural connotations deeply fascinated the team members. Known as "the nation chasing the sun," the Lisu ancestors' memories of migrating with the sun and living towards the sun are vividly integrated into their costume culture — the migration routes are meticulously embroidered on the hemlines, with every stitch embodying their nostalgia for their homeland and deep longing to find their way back.

During the experience session, team members put on traditional Lisu costumes and danced cheerful traditional dances hand in hand with local inheritors to the melodious sounds of the hulusi, a traditional ICH musical instrument. Through the rhythm of their bodies, they got up close to the pulse of Lisu culture and felt the vivid vitality of ethnic art.

Discussing New Paths for ICH Inheritance and Development: Upholding Roots While Pursuing Innovation

Yanbian County is home to 31 ethnic groups, nurturing rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage. How to extract the essence from the profound cultural accumulation and build a culturally competitive brand has become a key issue in the development of Yanbian's ICH industry. In the subsequent forum, Gui Lixin, the instructor of the Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation team, sat together with inheritors of various ICH items, including the Miao drum-stretching ceremony, Guosheng tea-making technique, traditional production technique of Yanbian oil-bottomed meat, handmade silk quilt weaving technique, and the ancient method of making mulberry paste. They had a lively exchange on the living inheritance, dissemination, promotion, and industrial planning of ICH.

It was unanimously agreed that in the process of promoting ICH out of the mountains, it is essential to uphold the cultural roots, preserving its unique cultural form and spiritual connotation; at the same time, actively explore connections with modern life, allowing ancient ICH to radiate new vitality in the contemporary era.

Team members also visited the Amu Shiyi Design Studio, witnessing the innovative integration of Lisu traditional culture and modern design. The studio skillfully incorporates traditional Lisu patterns, totems, and other cultural symbols into the development of cultural and creative products, creating a series of works that combine cultural heritage with contemporary charm: the traditional mascot "Jianmian Monkey (Meeting Monkey)" is transformed into trendy mobile phone pendants and backpack ornaments, symbolizing sending peace and blessings out of the green mountains and clear waters; sun patterns are presented on pillows through modern weaving techniques, and creative umbrella surfaces outlined by warp and weft threads have even become walking "cultural business cards." These innovative attempts have truly "brought ICH to life" and provided a replicable model for the industrial development of ICH.

This trip to Yanbian by the Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation team not only deepened the understanding and cognition of Lisu ICH culture but also built a bridge between the intellectual resources of universities and local ICH inheritance. When traditional craftsmanship meets modern design, and ethnic wisdom collides with innovative thinking, the inheritance of ICH in Yanbian County is stepping into a new journey of "upholding traditions while making innovations," injecting unique cultural momentum into rural revitalization. (Text/Photos by Hao Bin)