Passing the Baton
Chinese intangible cultural heritage skills promoted in schools
On the playground of the Zhongguancun No.2 Primary School in Beijing, students were amazed by the 55-year-old folk art expert, Zhao Xuejun, playing with diabolos. The spinning, buzzing juggling toy flew around like a bird. Inspired by Zhao, who is their teacher, all the students began to imitate her actions with their own diabolos.
Diabolo, or kongzhu in Chinese, is a traditional Chinese game using a double-coned bobbin that is spun, tossed and caught on a string secured by two wands held in each hand. It requires great skill and, when played rapidly, the spinning bobbin produces a range of buzz saw sounds that can be heard from a distance. The game dates back more than 1,000 years. It has been passed down from the hands of lords and dignitaries to become a household pastime. In 2006, it was included among the first group of national intangible cultural heritage items by the Chinese Government.
“In the past, playing diabolo was only popular among seniors who wanted to keep healthy. However, with its promotion in schools, this traditional Chinese game has been revived among the young,” Zhao told Beijing Review. In addition, the diabolo is beneficial for children to gain upper body strength and increased flexibility.
“For my students, they may not know the profound history and cultural background behind the game, but they are aware of the traditional culture behind the game when they play it,” Zhao said. “This is what inheritance means.”
Know it! Love it!
“I know this is the facial mask of Cao Cao (a famous politician in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, 25-220) because his mask uses white to indicate that the character is evil and hypocritical,” answered 8-year-old Gao Mingyang. In the Peking Opera facial mask class of the same primary school, led by Shi Haoran, a representative inheritor of Peking Opera facial makeup, students are actively competing to be the first to figure out the character on mask cards shown by the teacher.
Peking Opera facial masks were listed as