Airbnb 'Experience Ingenuity' Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism Project was Officially Launched in Guangzhou

Cooperating with Governments of Four Places and Promoting the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Publish Time:2019-06-13 12:14:06Source:Airbnb

【Introduction】:On June 6, Airbnb ‘Experience Ingenuity’ Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism Project was officially launched in Guangzhou.

On June 6, Airbnb ‘Experience Ingenuity’ Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism Project was officially launched in Guangzhou. Airbnb officially announced its strategic cooperative partnership with Guangzhou Yuexiu District, Beijing Dongcheng District, Chengdu City, and Guizhou Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture. Through the cooperation with local governments in important cultural tourism destination, Airbnb will merge the intangible cultural heritage based on tourists’ experience, protect and spread traditional Chinese culture, and improve the cultural level of tourism products. During the launch ceremony, Chen Lingli, Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Guangzhou Yuexiu District, Ye Xingbin, Vice Governor of Qian Dongnan Autonomous Prefecture, Wang Min, Vice Director of the Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of Chengdu City, Wei Ruifeng, Vice Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Beijing Dongcheng District, Yan Ming, Chief of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of Guangzhou, Peng Tao, President of Airbnb China and other guests attended the event and delivered speeches.

Peng Tao, President of Airbnb China and other guests take group photos at the launch ceremony

In the ‘Experience Ingenuity’ project, targeting on the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage in the four places, Airbnb will implement tourism skills and culture promotion training activity and invite craftsmen to enroll in as experience talents, so that Airbnb can develop various intangible cultural heritage products that tend to marketization, pop up platforms online, and carry forward profound traditional Chinese culture. Airbnb will closely cooperate with the local governments from four important cultural tourism destinations around China. By promoting ‘sharing accommodation + cultural experience’ culture and tourism integrative development mode, Airbnb will help upgrade the quality and level of tourism destination, protect the local intangible heritage and traditional culture, and deeply promote the integration and creative development of culture and tourism.

Peng Tao, President of Airbnb China delivers a speech

Peng Tao, President of Airbnb, said, “As the leader of sharing economy, Airbnb is working on building the connection between people through the creative development of culture and tourism products. And it carries forward the splendid culture contained in the intangible cultural heritage by building experience talents as the strong ties of cultural exchange. Airbnb will bring its advantages as a platform into full play and make full use of its strong global network effects to introduce Chinese intangible cultural heritage to the world and improve its international cultural competitiveness, in order to make more people know about and experience the Chinese intangible cultural heritage that carries Chinese cultural connotation and Chinese people’s passion for their varied lives. And it will promote the prosperity of traditional Chinese culture and skills.”

The venue of this launch ceremony is located at the Xinhepu Historical and Cultural Block in Dongshan. In the block, there remains Guangzhou’s largest architectural complex extant, with 400 residential buildings that integrate Chinese and western characteristics. The activation of historical block in the mode of ‘sharing accommodation + experiencing intangible cultural heritage’ and the infusion of commercial formats including homestay, innovation and relaxation have revitalised the mansions over a century old and filled the block with vitality and ambience of literature and art. During the launch ceremony, ‘Impression on Dongshan’ Serial Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Travel Routes have been released as well. Through these tourist routes, visitors can travel back in time to explore the history and revival of culture in Lingnan and Guangzhou.

Chen Lingli, Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Guangzhou Yuexiu District, said, “We feel very honoured to conduct strategic cooperation with Airbnb in the ‘Experience Ingenuity’ Intangible Cultural Heritage Project. By taking Xinhepu Historical and Cultural Block as the pilot area for cooperation, we will integrate commercial, tourism, and cultural resources and characteristic intangible cultural heritage projects to work jointly with Airbnb. We will also make full use of the international platform provided by Airbnb to change the ‘Impression on Dongshan’ brand into an immersion project, promote the project to international tourists, and establish a new ‘business card’ of cultural tourism for Guangzhou.”

During the launch ceremony, World Tourism Alliance (WTA) and Airbnb have released a research report, Tourism Innovation and Culture Protection: Take Airbnb as an Example. Liu Shijun, Secretary-General of WTA, said, “WTA has been focusing on the protection of the original culture in all the global tourist destinations, advocating responsible travel, and promoting the integrative development of global culture and tourism. We wish to look back to the global practice in the field of sharing economy, tourism innovation and culture protections together with Airbnb, actively explore the multi-cooperation modes under the orientation of global market, and provide certain reference for the development of tourism industry.”

Pith painting and moon cake moulding, two kinds of intangible cultural heritage in Guangdong

According to the report, Airbnb is now actively cooperating with governments and cultural heritage institutions around the world. Based on the global network and community resources of these local governments and institutions, Airbnb has been promoting the sustainable protection of culture. Meanwhile, Airbnb now has over 50 immersion projects about intangible cultural heritage in ten Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. These projects cover the fields including traditional handicrafts, traditional tea-making art, traditional ceramic craft, traditional cuisine, traditional opera, Kung Fu, traditional instrument playing, calligraphy and traditional painting. And there are 30 projects associated with World Intangible Cultural Heritage. Among all the cities, Beijing and Shanghai have more intangible heritage projects than other cities. The number of intangible cultural heritage projects on Airbnb platforms is expected to increase this year.

Taking sharing accommodation as the starting point, now Airbnb is expanding the width of tourism. With diversified products, Airbnb, while re-defining the sustainable tourism, is providing people with more original life experience in tourist destinations, improving people’s understanding of local culture, and raising their awareness of traditional culture protection. In November 2016, Airbnb immersion project was officially released. At present, the number of online experience has increased to over 30 thousand, spreading to more than 1000 cities in the world. In China, the intangible culture heritage experience business has been spread to 25 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou, and over 2000 available projects have been released to visitors.

Introduction of intangible cultural heritage experience in Guangzhou ‘Xinyuan’.

Guangdong Dancing Lion

Guangdong Dancing Lion is a representative project of national intangible cultural heritage.

Guangdong Dancing lion was born out of the lion dance in the Tang Dynasty. Lion dance is divided into north and south. The Southern lion shows masculinity, and the most representative is Guangdong Dancing Lion. Guangdong Dancing Lion performance, which integrates music, dance, sports and martial arts, is led by the Buddha with big head in the gongs and drums, with the theme of stepping the green, one, two or even dozens of hundreds of dancing lions, leaping and jumping. It is spectacular and lively.

Intangible cultural heritage artisan: Zhao Weibin, representative inheritor of Dancing Lion in Guangdong Province, President of Guangzhou Workingmen’s Dancing Lion Association.

Experience includes:

Visit Nanguo Dancing Lion Club Hall at Wenming Road 65, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City;

Watch introductory videos;

Listen to explainations from Dancing Lion teacher about the historical heritage, cultural characteristics and craftsmanship of Guangdong Dancing Lion on the event;

Watch the exquisite creative products independently developed and patented;

Follow the guidances of Dancing Lion teacher on the basic movements of lion dance outdoors, dance with the lion head and take pictures;

Experience painted lion heads indoors with dancing lion teachers;

Get a key chain souvenir with the shape of the lion head.

Guangzhou moon cake moulding

Guangzhou moon cake moulding technique is a representative project of provincial intangible cultural heritage in Guangdong Province.

Guangzhou moon cake moulding, also known as cake moulding, is the main tool for the production of Cantonese moon cakes, almond cakes, Longfeng gift cakes and other traditional Cantonese cakes. Guangzhou has a long history of moon cake moulding. During Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, there was several moon cake moulding workshops, among which are old and well-known family "Yu Tong Hao" inherited to this day. Guangzhou's To To Kui, Lin Heung Tea House, Dai Tung Restaurant, Panxi Restaurant and other old restaurant brands used to make snacks and mooncakes all came from the "Yu Tong Hao".

Intangible cultural heritage artisan: Yu Zhaoji, the representative inheritor of moon cake moulding in Guangzhou City, the fifth generation inheritor of Yu Tong Hao.

Experience includes:

Listen to Mr. Yu Zhaoji's explanation on the historical inheritance and cultural characteristics of cake prints in Dongshan Hotel, No. 12 Wayao Houheng Street, Dong Hua East Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou.

Enjoy Mr. Yu Zhaoji's representative works and the long-standing collection of mooncake moulds, and watch Mr. Yu Zhaoji his technique demonstrations.

Carve moon cake mould with Guangzhou characteristics under the guidance of Mr. Yu Zhaoji.

Knead dough and make filling under the guidance of the teacher, and make cakes with carved moulds.

Obtain a handmade moon cake mould and a small gift box for finished cakes as souvenirs.

Paper-cut

Paper-cut is a representative project of national intangible cultural heritage.

Guangzhou Paper-cut attaches great importance to the application of the rhythm of Chinese painting lines, the combination of Yin and Yang, and the perspective principle of western painting with strong Lingnan characteristics.

Intangible cultural heritage artisan: Lian Xiaohong, the representative inheritor of Guangzhou district level paper-cut and the director of Guangzhou Arts & Crafts Association.

Experience includes:

Visit the old house left by the 1920s, which combines Chinese and western elements in Mingyuan Residence, No. 12-14 Peizheng Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City.

Listen to explainations of Ms. Lian Xiaohong on the historical inheritance and cultural characteristics of paper-cut in Guangzhou.

Watch Ms. Lian Xiaohong's demonstration of craftsmanship and enjoy the sight of the paper-cut works.

Use the basic techniques of Guangzhou Paper-cut: circle, tip, square, lacking and line, make a piece of exquisite paper-cut with Guangzhou characteristics and paste it on the dough fan under the guidance of Ms. Lian Xiaohong.

Obtain the paper-cut fan as a souvenir.

Pith painting

Pith painting is a representative project of intangible cultural heritage at district level in Yuexiu District of Guangzhou City.

Pith painting is a kind of export painting in Guangzhou more than 200 years ago. It means that Chinese painters use the combination of Chinese and western painting principles and techniques to draw watercolor paintings reflecting Chinese local customs on the "paper" sliced from the heart of rice paper pith tree. It started in the 18th to 19th centuries and was popular in the West at that time. It was regarded as treasure by Queen Victoria of England and Czar Nicholas II of Russia. It gradually declined after the Opium War. Pith painting, because of its unique material and brushwork, is full of rich Lingnan color and superb realism. It has become a window for Guangzhou to show Chinese history and culture to the western world and an important carrier for westerners to understand China and Guangzhou society at that time.

Intangible cultural heritage artisan: Su Xin, representative inheritor of pith painting at district level, senior art teacher, Minister of Arts and Calligraphy, Children's Palace, Yuexiu District.

Experience includes:

Visit the small exhibition hall of pith painting and enjoy the works of pith painting in the small white building studio beside Runyuan, No. 1 Erheng Road, Xinhepu, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City.

Listen to the instructor to explain the material characteristics of pith paper, the history, culture, evolution and inheritance of pith painting.

Watch the instructor to demonstrate the techniques of pith painting.

Draw optional pictures on pith paper with unique material together with the instructor.

The instructor process and arrange the picture frame to become a unique souvenir after finishing.

The introduction of walking in Dongshan Xinhepu

In the bustling and noisy Guangzhou, there is a quiet and comfortable place, Dongshan Xinhepu, where you can enjoy the long-lost slow time. There are more than 400 foreign buildings, which not only absorb the western architectural style but also integrate Lingnan characteristics, forming a unique "Dongshan Western Building" complex.And it is the most recognizable cultural signature in Guangzhou. Walking in Dongshan Xinhepu block, visitors can take photos of the "Wu Da Qiao Yuan" in Dongshan and use the lens to fix the historical memory of traditional buildings. Visiting the art space and cafe in the western building, visitors can listen to the old stories behind the western building by the owner. Participating in the intangible cultural heritage experience in the boutique homestay, visitors can communicate inheritance of intangible cultural heritage and life with intangible cultural heritage teachers. Feeling the "Impression on Dongshan" which is different from Xiguan, visitors can experience the most authentic "Cantonese Life".

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