Under the Mid-Autumn Moonlight: 15 consuls in Hongkong embrace Chinese intangible cultural heritages
Source: Yangcheng Evening News Yunshang Lingnan Author: Wang Manqi Publication time: 2023-09-29 18:22
On the evening of September 27th, a special event titled “Under the Mid-Autumn Moonlight” kicked off at the Jao Tsung-I Academy in Hong Kong. Fifteen consuls in Hong Kong from different countries, along with nearly a hundred foreign business and financial professionals and local citizens, celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival together and experienced the unique charm of Chinese traditional customs.
The event featured a themed cultural bazaar that combined traditional Chinese clothing fashion shows, folk music performances, intangible cultural heritage demonstrations, and culinary experiences. It provided an immersive experience to appreciate the traditional cultural values of “family reunion, full moon, and national unity.” The opening ceremony showcased a joint effort between Hong Kong and Chengdu called “Chengdu Hanfu Week”, which featured performances by actors portraying historical figures such as “Madame Huarui”, “Sima Xiangru” and “Fan Li”. They interacted with the audience and foreign guests. Subsequently, they also held a Hanfu flash mob at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and Victoria Park. The event concluded with a grand performance of Chaozhou Luogu (or gongs and drums), which is one of China’s intangible cultural heritages. The powerful and uplifting drum beats received continuous applause from the audience.
In addition to the captivating audiovisual performances, a craftsmanship workshop on intangible cultural heritage was set up in the folk customs pavilion. Amidst the melodious sounds of Lingnan Guqin music, participants had the opportunity to experience the production of wooden palace lanterns, dian cha (or tea art creating) techniques, and taste Chinese delicacies such as mooncakes. Under the guidance of inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, many consuls enthusiastically participated in activities such as calligraphy writing, embroidery learning, and palace lantern making. Morvarid Najafi, an entrepreneur from Iran, who held his self-made palace lantern expressed that it was interesting to participate in such a festive celebration in Hong Kong and gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and traditions.
The exhibition on intangible cultural heritage also intentionally included a dialogue on Cantonese embroidery and Sichuan embroidery. The embroidery techniques presented unique beauty and charm resulting from their inheritance in two different regions, leaving foreign guests captivated.
Organized by the Bauhinia Cultures Holdings, the current cultural event “Under the Mid-Autumn Moonlight” was designed as a global cultural emblem through Hong Kong, an important cultural platform between cultures of East and West. The organizers aimed to showcase the elegance of Chinese traditional culture to the world while connecting people from different regions to appreciate regional integration and enjoy the beauty of cultural exchange.
Full Moon Mid-Autumn Festival: Consuls from 15 countries in Hong Kong reward Chinese “intangible cultural heritage”
Painting and making palace lanterns, the “dialogue” between Guangzhou embroidery and Shu embroidery, the melodious guzheng and the powerful gongs and drums each show the beauty of folk music… On the evening of September 27, “2023 Full Moon Mid-Autumn Festival – Mid-Autumn Festival Culture Hong Kong Special Event” Held at the Jao Tsung-I Cultural Center in Hong Kong. Consuls from 15 countries stationed in Hong Kong and nearly a hundred foreign business and financial figures, citizens and tourists celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival together and experienced the unique charm of Chinese traditional folk customs.
At the event site that night, a “Mid-Autumn Cultural Fair” was created that integrated Chinese-style Hanfu shows, folk music performances, intangible cultural heritage production, and food experiences, allowing people to immersively experience the “round people, the full moon, the round family, and the round country.” “The traditional cultural value connotation of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Amid the melodious music of the guzheng, pipa, and Xiao ensemble, the Chengdu Hanfu Week “Yi Qi Jin Guan Cheng” jointly created by Hong Kong and Chengdu officially opened, with actors playing “Mrs. Hua Rui”, “Sima Xiangru” and “Fan Li” and other historical and cultural celebrities to interact and communicate with the audience and foreign friends. Next, they will go to the West Kowloon High Speed Rail Station and Victoria Park to hold a Hanfu show pop-up. Echoing the romantic opening, the national intangible cultural heritage music Chaozhou Gong and Drum was performed at the end of the event. As one of the performance forms of Chaozhou music, the majestic and exciting drumbeats of Chaozhou Gong and Drum attracted continuous applause from the audience.
In addition to the wonderful audio-visual performance feast, there is also an intangible cultural heritage handicraft experience workshop set up in the folk custom exhibition hall. In the quiet sound of Lingnan Guqin, experience the intangible cultural heritage skills of making mahogany palace lanterns, ordering tea, and taste mooncakes and other Chinese delicacies. Under the guidance of inheritors of intangible cultural heritage skills, many consuls in Hong Kong participated enthusiastically, writing Chinese characters, learning embroidery, and making festive mahogany palace lanterns with their own hands. Morvarid Najafi, an entrepreneur from Iran, held a palace lantern he made and said that it was interesting to participate in this way of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong and that he could learn more about the connotation of Chinese culture and traditions.
This intangible cultural heritage display also specially included a dialogue session between “Guangzhou Embroidery and Shu Embroidery”. The embroidery skills, inherited from two different regions, present a unique beauty and charm, which makes foreign friends linger.
This “Full Moon Mid-Autumn Festival” cultural event is hosted by Bauhinia Cultural Group. The organizers stated that through Hong Kong, an important platform for the intersection of Chinese and Western cultures, they will be committed to making the “Full Moon Mid-Autumn Festival” a global cultural business card, showing the elegance of traditional Chinese culture to the world, and connecting people from all over the world to understand the region together. The feeling of blending and appreciating the beauty of cultural exchanges.
Text | Reporter Wang Manqi
Picture | Provided by the organizer
Translated | Chen Xuan
Editor | Wang Nan
Proofreading | Zhang Jialiang
2023-09-29 10:22:00
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