Lifestyle

The year 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the discovery of Niuheliang's cultural relics. Thirty years ago, this area was deserted farmland. Today, it is turning into one of the most important cultural bases in Liaoning Province.

During the 12th Five-Year (2011-15) period, the provincial government will build the cultural site from three aspects. First is the construction of the exhibition halls and the museum for Hongshan cultural relics. Second, a Niuer River scenic spot will be built to exhibit folk culture like Chaoyang shadow puppets and paper cutting. Third, ecotourism and agritainment (farm-based tourism) will replace traditional farming as local farmers' main livelihood.

"The ultimate goal for the plan is to benefit the local people," said Meng. To him, local people have sacrificed a lot for cultural protection, as some of them have had to give up their farmland. Mining and quarrying are also prohibited within the protected area. But the projects will bring them a better life, as local labor can be absorbed.

Promoting the culture

The Niuheliang project is just one aspect of the project in Chaoyang, the famous historical and cultural city which boasts four brilliant cultural themes - Niuheliang Hongshan culture, fossil culture (see box), Three-Yan Culture (see box) and folk culture, featuring Buddhist culture.

According to Tian Tielin, Director of Department of Publicity in Chaoyang, during its 12th Five-Year Plan, Chaoyang will make use of its cultural resources to build nine culture parks, including the fossil culture park, Three-Yan culture zone and Niuheliang Hongshan culture park.

"In the future, [culture] will become one of the pillar industries in Chaoyang," Tian told ChinAfrica, adding that the following five years will be a vital period for the development of Chaoyang's cultural industry.

According to Tian, now the government is working proactively in promoting the local culture. At the World Expo in Shanghai last year, a Chaoyang Cultural Week was launched to bring Chaoyang culture to the world. And recently a promotion conference for Chaoyang culture was held in Taiwan.

"Our goal is to make Chaoyang one of the key bases for cultural industry in northeast China," said Tian.

But it is far more than pure commercialization. "The foundation for cultural industry is cultural innovation," said Tian. Now Chaoyang is preparing a dance drama to present Hongshan Culture. For Tian, commercialization and cultural promotion are equally important. "We are not only tapping business value, but also the value of culture itself," he said.

In order to achieve this goal, Chaoyang has already started to bring culture into the classroom. According to Meng, in local elementary schools, there are some textbook supplements introducing Chaoyang culture and the world cultural heritage. In relics parks in Chaoyang, interactive activities like jade and pottery making and simulated archeological sites give the young generation closer access to culture.

In Meng's opinion, the most effective way to protect culture is to promote it, especially among young people.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

> Three-Yan Culture

Three Yans refer to Former Yan, Later Yan and Northern Yan of the Sixteen Kingdom (304-439) Period. In 342, King of the Former Yan Murong Huang made Chaoyang his capital. Named Longcheng, it was also the capital in the other Yan periods. Chaoyang has functioned as a center of Buddhism in northeast China since the construction of Longxiang Temple in 345.

> Fossil Culture

Chaoyang is located in the Harqin region, the oldest prehistoric site in northeast China. During the 1990s, many new fossils were unearthed there. Some findings have completely revolutionized ideas about dinosaurs and shed new light on the origin of birds. Two of the most remarkable Early Cretaceous birds discovered in the area were named Longipteryx chaoyangensis and Sapeornis chaoyangensis in reference to the city.