Chongqing - In Southwest China's Chongqing, celebrating the Chinese New Year without watching the dragon dance is considered incomplete. Notably, the Tongliang Dragon Dance, a local traditional folk activity, is one of the first national-level intangible cultural heritages. Similarly, in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), some communities perform the Pixiu dance during festive occasions to ward off evil spirits. Residents in both places share the mood of praying for blessings and welcoming new things.

Invited by the Information Services Department of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, a reporter from iChongqing visited the Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre in Tsuen Wan. An exhibition titled Lost and Sound—Hong Kong Festivals and Traditional Craftsmanship is underway. 

The exhibition displays the intangible cultural heritage elements innovatively used in traditional festivals. By differentiating various crafts by their sound categories, the audience could trace the threads of sounds and discover the importance of festivals, birthdays of deities, ancestral worship, and the Jiao Festival step by step. These celebrations are more than fascinating and enriching; they are also occasions for the inheritance and demonstration of craftsmanship. From the celebration arrangement and preparation of items to the rehearsals of the performances for "entertaining both deities and mortals," these intangible cultural heritage items serve to fully reflect the beauty of crafts, the connotations of local culture, and the ingenious thought and exquisite craftsmanship of the craftsmen, all of which are unique treasures of Hong Kong.

The reporters were particularly attracted to the unique "Pixiu dance" performance. Master Chung Ho-sing, a heritage bearer of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage, explained and demonstrated the "Hakka Pixiu" to the visiting journalists.

Sixth-generation bearer of Hakka Pixiu, Mr Chung Ho-sing, is introducing the Pixiu Dance to journalists. (Photo/ Yang Shihan)

Under Chung Ho-sing's guidance, the apprentice Chan Ka-man held up the Pixiu head with both hands while Chung Cheik-laam, Chung Ho-sing's son, was adorned in Pixiu's colorful clothing. The two, one in front of the other, coordinated seamlessly, sometimes diving, leaping, and kicking, displaying skilled movements and an uplifted spirit.

Chung Ho-sing is already the sixth-generation inheritor, and now his son has taken up the mantle, becoming the seventh-generation inheritor of the Hakka Pixiu. Master Chung frequently performs the Pixiu dance to promote Hakka Pixiu culture and make it more familiar and appreciated by the public.

Mr Chung Ho-sing, Sixth-generation bearer of Hakka Pixiu, and Mr Chan Ka-man are performing the Pixiu Dance. (Photo/ Yang Shihan)

"My dad is the inheritor; I had no choice but to learn," confessed Chung Zhuolan. Initially, he was reluctant to learn the Pixiu dance, considering it "outdated," something only the older generation would appreciate.

However, Chung Zhuolan gradually developed a liking for the Pixiu dance during the learning process. He began innovating within the tradition, infusing it with more contemporary elements and expanding the variety of Pixiu colors. "In a few days, I will perform the Pixiu dance at an event with over 500 spectators," he shared.

According to Joyce Ho, Head of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office in Hong Kong, the office is dedicated to identifying, documenting, researching, preserving, promoting, and inheriting intangible cultural heritage. It encourages public participation in jointly promoting the inheritance and innovation of intangible cultural heritage. The "Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre" is established at the Sam Tung Uk Museum as its exhibition and education center. The list of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage includes 480 projects, with 12 listed in the "National List of Representative Projects of Intangible Cultural Heritage," such as Cantonese opera, Mid-Autumn Festival - Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, and the craftsmanship of traditional Chinese Changshan in Hong Kong.

Mahjong Tile Making Technique is also an intangible cultural heritage project of Hong Kong. (Photo/ Yang Shihan)

At the end of 2018, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government allocated HK$300 million for the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Funding Scheme." By the end of last year, the scheme had supported 123 intangible heritage projects, with a total funding of over HK$100 million. "We hope that in the future, more young people will visit the Tsuen Wan Museum and learn about Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage," said Joyce Ho. She also expressed the intention to promote more intangible cultural heritage projects in schools.