Across regions within the sphere of influence of Chinese culture, Guan Yu, an ancient general known for his loyalty and bravery in battles, has been widely deified and worshipped.
The Temple of Guan Yu in Xiezhou, north China's Shanxi Province, is the largest one among countless temples that worship the general across the country, and also a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level.
In 2020, a research institute studying the culture behind this folk belief in Guan Yu was inaugurated in Xiezhou, and eight graduate students were hired. This summer, researchers of the institute are compiling chronicles for the temple, and delving into the fine elements of traditional culture epitomized in the temple.
Across the country, historical and cultural heritage sites are protected and studied to discover and learn about traditional Chinese culture, amid the nation's efforts to build a modern Chinese civilization. In total, there are 5,058 major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level.
"The historical and cultural sites, bearing witness to the long history and splendid culture of the Chinese nation and carrying the genes of traditional Chinese culture, offer us rich 'spiritual nutrients' in the midst of building a modern Chinese civilization," said Gao Jiangtao, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Shanxi Province, taking a fairly large proportion of the 5,058 major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level, has endeavored to train more professionals for the protection of historical and cultural sites and to cultivate enthusiasm for the antiquities of the general public.
TRAINING PROFESSIONALS
In Shanxi, local protection work has long been plagued by understaffing. A project was launched in 2022 to enroll a total of 600 students for a span of five years, specifically for 117 localities across the province in need of protection professionals.
These students will be offered general education on relics protection during college, free of tuition, and are duty-bound to work for pre-designated employers after graduation.
The 19-year-old Li Jingyi, who hails from Wanrong County, Yuncheng City of Shanxi Province, grew up watching the nearby Feiyun Tower, a wooden tower featuring characters of the Yuan (1206-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, a historical and cultural site protected at the national level.
Li, among the first batch of students joining the project, will receive training in archeology, cultural heritage architectures, and museum studies at Shanxi University and return home for work when she finishes college.
"Ancient architectures exude a beauty bestowed by history, I'm fascinated with that, and I'd love to work for the protection of cultural relics in my hometown," she said.
CULTIVATING ENTHUSIASTS
Located on the outskirts of Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi, the tomb of Xu Xianxiu, a high-profile official of the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557), is considered to have some of the best-preserved murals from the Northern Qi period. The interior walls of the tomb are decorated with paintings covering about 330 square meters.
However, for the sake of preservation, watching the murals on-site is not possible. A museum featuring murals of the Northern Qi Dynasty was built in Taiyuan based on archeological discoveries of the tomb.
Rather than "sitting still," the museum reached out to school students with the help of metaverse technologies. Wearing Virtual Reality goggles, and holding hand-held controllers, students of Taiyuan No. 19 Middle School recently "walked" into the tomb to watch the murals. They were even able to "lift" an unearthed artifact for a close-up gaze.
"With the help of technologies, we are taking the cultural relics to schools, getting students acquainted with them so that they might fall in love with traditional culture," said Wang Jiang, curator of the museum.
Ren Junhua, professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), said that modern Chinese civilization is deeply rooted in the fertile ground of traditional Chinese culture.
Greater efforts are needed to study and interpret the traditional culture embedded in those cultural and historical sites, and to boost the popularity of those sites with technological means and likable presentation, Ren added.