Exhibiting living heritage in China | 中国活态遗产展演

文摘   文化   2024-10-15 00:51   法国  


如何让无形的非物质文化遗产走进人们的视野?2023年落成的浙江省非物质文化遗产馆在这方面树立了典范。这家博物馆采用沉浸式互动方式,向参观者展示表演艺术、仪式和传统技艺。

郭艺(Guo Yi)
艺术学博士
浙江省非物质文化遗产保护中心主任
浙江省非物质文化遗产馆馆长


身临其境感受传说故事的魅力,观看一场传统戏台上的戏曲表演,这些都已成为公众可享受的参观体验。浙江省非物质文化遗产馆位于中国东南沿海的浙江省,建筑面积为35,000平方米,这里的独特之处在于参观者可以亲身参与文化传统。


顾名思义,非物质遗产是动态的,其中包含了从先辈传承下来的各种传统和活态表达方式,例如口述传统、表演艺术、仪式、节庆活动、传统手工艺。

借助沉浸式多媒体体验,这里的展览让古老的传统变得生动而鲜活


2004年以来,博物馆界一直在探索如何有效展示非物质文化遗产。博物馆方面认识到,活态遗产是动态的,仅仅通过文物展览无法充分展现出这些遗产的魅力。在浙江省的这家博物馆里,参观者可以享受沉浸式多媒体体验,观看传承人的现场表演,接触到充满活力的展品,古老的传统在这里变得生动而鲜活。在2023年举行的博物馆开幕仪式上,国际博物馆协会主席埃玛·纳尔迪(Emma Nardi)对旨在推广活态遗产的这项举措表示欢迎。


 ©  中国浙江省非物质文化遗产馆 / 图源:郭艺(Guo Yi) 在中国浙江省非物质文化遗产馆的以《梁山伯与祝英台》传说为灵感的沉浸式展演。 


传统戏台


在现代中国社会里,传统戏台已经很少见了。现存的古戏台通常都作为文物被保护起来,不再作为演出场地使用。大部分传统戏剧演出如今都在现代化剧场里上演。


浙江省非物质文化遗产馆的镇馆之宝是一座传统戏台。这座精致的戏台宽11.8米,重量达到60吨,由20名精通中国传统建筑营造技艺的熟练工匠修建。工程完工后,工匠们观看了一场在自己亲手打造的戏台上表演的传统戏剧,感动得热泪盈眶。


在这座戏台前,观众仿佛穿越时光回到了过去,沉浸于传统戏剧之美和艺术魅力。他们或站或坐,按传统方式观赏古典戏剧表演。


当演员上演传统剧目,观众听到古老的乐器奏响旋律,看到演员细致繁复的服装和微妙的面部表情,感受传统戏剧故事传达出来的强烈情感。


戏台上有两扇门,目的是让表演者遵循“出将入相”(上下场的方式)等传统戏剧程式,按照固定规程表演。这体现出传统演出的严格标准和既定程序。这座戏台本身就是中国表演艺术之丰富遗产的鲜活见证。


唤醒传统技艺


这家博物馆的核心使命是通过参与式体验来吸引参观者,将“单向”教育转变为互动参与,重点关注肩负着让非物质文化遗产变得生动而鲜活的手工艺者。


这家博物馆的核心使命是通过参与式体验来吸引参观者


博物馆的设计团队花费两年时间,一丝不苟地追踪记录了500多名传统手工艺从业者。他们饱经风霜的双手因多年辛勤劳作而变得粗糙,他们用双手阐释着热爱和工匠精神。

博物馆里有一面图像墙,可以看到数百双巧手在劳作——腌制火腿、编织竹子、雕刻木材、制作茶叶等,博物馆采用高科技的数字成像技术,将无形的技艺以这种有形方式呈现了出来。

参观者在观赏过程中只需选择自己感兴趣的“手部图像”,就可以实时观看相关工艺的详细制作过程。数字技术将这些复杂精细的过程转化为可视图像,让观众觉得自己仿佛也参与了制作。


《白蛇传》


在非物质文化遗产中,传说故事是世代相传的重要口述传统。博物馆创造性地运用数字技术将这些故事呈现在观众面前,加深了观众对这项文化遗产的了解。博物馆提取了具有象征意义的文化元素,制作成沉浸式粒子动画(具有肌理影像等效果),生动地展示了两个家喻户晓的传说——《白蛇传》和《梁山伯与祝英台》。


参观者步入这些虚拟世界,会被流动的色彩和声音包围。在《白蛇传》中,观众仿佛置身于飘逸空灵的水波动画,那对恋人乘坐的小船在层层叠叠的闪光粒子中若隐若现。《梁山伯与祝英台》的故事在栩栩如生的数字化蝴蝶影像和动听的音乐中缓缓展开,观众可以沉浸式欣赏浪漫的爱情和化蝶的传奇。

博物馆希望通过巧妙运用数字技术吸引更多参观者,尤其是年轻人。不同于侧重历史知识和实物的文物展,活态遗产展着重文化内容,突出展示人物和过程,这就需要重新诠释和创造性地呈现。

浙江省非物质文化遗产馆是中国首家区域综合性非物质文化遗产馆,类似场馆预计将陆续建成。截至目前,这家博物馆已经接待观众76万人次。

中国未来的博物馆必将采用“博物馆+”的模式,与数字媒体、教育和旅游等行业携手合作,提供更有吸引力的文化体验。

这家博物馆将非物质文化遗产与中国传统节日结合起来,不仅守护了传统,也融入了城市、社区和当代生活,这有助于保护非物质文化遗产,也为这些遗产增添了时代活力。






Exhibiting living heritage in China



How to bring into view what is invisible: intangible cultural heritage? Inaugurated in 2023, a museum in Zhejiang is showing the way. Using an immersive and interactive approach, it introduces visitors to performing arts, rituals, and traditional skills.

Guo Yi

Ph.D in Literature, 
Director of the Zhejiang Provincial 
Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center 
and curator of the Zhejiang 
Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum



Immerse oneself in the magic of a legendary tale or watch an opera performed on a traditional stage? Such experiences are now within the reach of the general public. Located in Zhejiang Province on the southeast coast of China and spanning 35,000 square meters, the Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum offers visitors a unique opportunity to actively participate in cultural traditions.


Intangible heritage is by definition dynamic – it includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors, such as oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, festive events, or skills to produce traditional crafts.


Exhibits bring ancient traditions to life 

through immersive multimedia experiences”


Since 2004, the museum community has been researching ways to effectively showcase intangible cultural heritage, understanding that living heritage is active and cannot be fully represented through artefacts alone. Here, visitors engage with vibrant exhibits that bring ancient traditions to life through immersive multimedia experiences and live performances by master artisans. At the museum's opening ceremony in 2023, Emma Nardi, President of the International Council of Museums, welcomed this initiative of promoting living heritage.


The traditional opera stage

In modern China, traditional opera stages are very rare. The few that remain are typically preserved as historical monuments and no longer serve as performance venues. Today, most operas take place in modern theatres.


A traditional opera stage is the centerpiece of the Traditional Theatre Hall at the Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum. This exquisite performance stage, measuring 11.8 meters in width, weighs an astonishing 60 tons. It was constructed by 20 craftsmen highly skilled in the mastery of traditional Chinese construction techniques. When the project was completed and they watched a traditional opera performed on the stage they built, these craftsmen were moved to tears.

Visitors to this opera house are transported back in time, immersed in the beauty and artistry of the opera. They watch while standing or sitting casually, in the traditional way of viewing performances of ancient opera.

Singers recreate traditional performance, allowing audiences to hear the melodies of ancient instruments, see the intricate costumes and facial expressions of the performers, and feel the powerful emotions conveyed through the stories depicted in the opera.

The stage includes two doors, ensuring the performers follow traditional protocols such as “出将入相 (chujiang ruxiang)," or the order to appear on stage: they perform sequentially, according to established rules. It is part of the rigorous standards and procedures of traditional performance. The stage itself becomes a living testament to the rich heritage of Chinese performing arts.


Reviving know-how


At the heart of the museum’s mission is the desire to engage audiences through participatory experiences that transform the "one-way" educational experience into an interactive engagement, focusing on the craftspersons bringing intangible cultural heritage to life.


At the heart of the museum’s mission 

is the desire to engage audiences 

through participatory experiences


The Museum’s design team spent two years meticulously tracking and documenting over 500 people who participate in intangible traditions. Their hands, weathered and roughened by years of dedication, tell a story of passion and craftsmanship.

The museum uses cutting-edge digital imaging to present this "intangibility" in a tangible form, creating a wall of images featuring hundreds of skilled hands in motion – curing ham, weaving bamboo, carving wood, crafting tea, and so on.

As visitors move through the exhibit, they can observe the meticulous crafting process in real time by selecting any image of a particular “hand item” that interests them. Digital technology transforms these intricate processes into visible images, allowing the audience to feel as though they are a part of the crafting journey.


The Legend of the White Snake

Legendary stories are a crucial oral tradition of intangible cultural heritage, passed down through generations. Here at the museum they are creatively digitized to entertain audiences and deepen their understanding of this heritage. The museum vividly presents two famous legends, "The Legend of the White Snake" and "The Butterfly Lovers" (Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai), by extracting symbolic cultural elements and designing them into an immersive particle animation space (with effects such as explosions and sparkles).


As visitors step into these virtual worlds, they are enveloped in swirling colours and soundscapes. In “The Legend of the White Snake”, visitors are surrounded by ethereal water animations, with the lovers' boat appearing in a cascade of shimmering particles. Meanwhile, “The Butterfly Lovers” unfolds amidst a vibrant digital display of butterflies and music, immersing the audience in a narrative of romantic love and transformation.


Through the artistic use of digital technology, the museum aims to attract more visitors, especially young people. Unlike artefact exhibits, which focus on historical knowledge and objects, living heritage exhibits emphasize cultural content, highlighting people and processes. They require reinterpretation and creative presentation. 


It is China’s first regional comprehensive museum of its kind, and similar venues are expected to be opened in time. In the year and a half since it opened, the Museum has already welcomed 760,000 visitors.


The future of museums in China is shaped by the "Museum+" model, collaborating with industries like digital media, education, and tourism to offer more engaging cultural experiences.


By aligning intangible cultural heritage with Chinese traditional festivals, the museum not only protects these traditions but also integrates with the city, community, and contemporary life. It contributes to the vitality of the times and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage.




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