| |
 |
Chaoshan folk culture week
|
Wu Yan
THE Chaoshan people -- who get their name from living in the Chaozhou and Shantou regions of eastern Guangdong Province -- are truly unique, widely known and respected for a pioneering spirit, a willingness to work hard and a baffling dialect.
During the week-long May Day holiday, the China Folk Culture Villages theme park will host a special event showcasing the culture of Chaoshan. Co-sponsored by the SZ Tourism Bureau and the Publicity Department of the Shantou Municipal Committee of the CPC, the cultural extravaganza will be the first of its kind ever held in Shenzhen.
To add a festive atmosphere, the park has been decorated with Chaoshan style cultural signs, such as banners, embroideries, bamboo baskets and lanterns.
People, though, are the source of all culture. "So we have invited several performance groups from the Chaozhou and Shantou regions, including the Yingge Dance Group from Puning. This group has won a gold prize in a national square art competition," said Zhang Chengbao, one of the park's managers.
Apart from Yingge dancing, which features dancers moving in formation with each of them holding a short wooden stick in each hand, there will be Chaoshan style concerts, Chao operas and riddles.
Since Chaoshan dialect is unintelligible to most people, the Chao operas will offer highlights, particularly parts with acrobatics and martial arts.
Some craftsmen have also been invited from the Chaoshan area and are stationed across the park. There are young women doing embroidery, old men giving haircuts and others preparing the famous Chaozhou style gongfu tea.
There are even Chaoshan snack stands, where visitors can sit and taste some Chaozhou cuisine.
"Like the Chaoshan culture, this event will be a very unique one. Those who haven't been to that region or who have never associated with the Chaoshan people will surely feel something special of that culture from our event," Zhang said.
|
|
|
|
