\n

New rice festival of the La Chí ethnic group

It's not just a story of a young man, but a story of mine and a group of friends about paper-cut.\n\nMy first memory about paper-cut in childhood is the paper-cut for window decoration and Fu (lucky) character paper-cut. I was born in an artistic family, where grandma and grandpa are the inheritors of a national intangible cultural heritage. Thus, from childhood I yearned for art and beauty very much. When five years old, I began to follow my grandma, held a pair of scissors and hollowed out a picture on a piece of red paper. In the end, a lovely rabbit stood vividly as revealed on the paper. Even though my action was clumsy and the work was not exquisite, my grandmother was very pleased with my love for traditional art. After years of exercise, I gradually learned to cut cornflower, shoe flower, regiment flower, and other complex patterns of works. Every Chinese New Year, my family sits together, singing operas, writing calligraphy, and creating many festive paper-cuts as New Year gifts to relatives and friends. When my paper-cut is praised and loved by them, it deepens my love for the traditional art of paper-cut and stimulates my enthusiasm in learning it.\n\nWith gradual growth, I realized that paper-cut as intangible cultural heritage was facing the risk of loss. Fortunately, the country and even the whole world have paid more attention to the traditional culture and gave great help to the inheritors. However, as a teenager who loves traditional art, I should do something for saving it. Then I called my friends to learn making paper-cut together. Taking the principle of disseminating and inheriting paper-cut culture into consideration, my grandma set up a paper-cut class which was free of charge and available to everyone. From the scale of only a few people to dozens of people, more and more man who love paper-cut, including young people, kids and their parents, participate in this activity. We created, exercised and participated paper-cut competitions and exhibitions together. Gradually, more people came into contact with paper-cut and passed on this art.\n\nNow I have entered the university and have more free time and ways to learn and disseminate the art of paper-cut. In the summer social practice activities in 2018, I led more than ten students back to my hometown, Binzhou, Shandong Province, to conduct a systematic survey of paper-cut art. After interviewing four paper-cutting inheritors including my grandmother, the students also learned the paper-cut skills from them and created a series of paper-cut which was our school—— Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s architecture. At the same time, we also went into a kindergarten to help the pupils learn paper-cut. When I saw the eagerness for learning paper-cut in their eyes, I seemed to return to the first time I got scissors and felt excited beyond my words and was proud of my contribution to help my grandmother disseminate the art of paper-cut continuously. In order to better protect and promote the works, our practice members also made postcards of the paper-cut for the school, as creative cultural products loved by students and teachers. What’s more, this series of postcards become gifts as a microcosm of the school and even Chinese culture to exchange with universities in China and other countries.\n\nAs young people in the new era, bred in the precious cultural heritage left by the wise ancients, facing the impact of fashion culture and the risk of heritage loss, we should think about the inheritance and innovation of these cultures. My grandma once picked up a lot of fallen leaves when she was walking on the roadside, and carefully figured out their shapes and drew them as paper-cut patterns. In her eyes, there is no absolute consistency among all things in the world. Even the expression of leaf patterns on paper-cut has thousands of ways. People need to observe and think about the world carefully and then try to make these ideas become works of art. The changes between them may be the cultural power given to human beings. \n\nOut of love for ICH, in the previous summer vacation, I participated in a research project on ICH in southwest China organized by the school, whose purpose is to produce some creative products to help local people get rid of poverty. The destination is Guizhou, a gathering place of minority nationalities. I am very gratified to see that Miao children are still learning embroidery and silver ornaments with national characteristics. When interviewing the administrator of thousands of Miao stockade tourist attractions, I asked her how she viewed the inheritance of local non-heritage culture. She said that there are two ways: one is education, which means to let ICH into schools and children have more contact with such culture; the other is commercialization, on the basis of non-legacy culture to create cultural products adapting to the times. In the end, people can’t only get benefits but also better spread ethnic culture. The same is true for paper-cut. While retaining the essence of paper-cut, innovation to adapt to the times is the best inheritance, like Mr. Geng, one of the inheritors of Binzhou paper-cut, who applied the paper-cut elements to blue printed cloth which could make clothes and then sold them everywhere. Commercial operation not only brings him considerable income, but also promotes the culture of paper-cut.\n\nAs an undergraduate student, my strength is still very weak, but I hope that through my continuous learning of art, communication, and other professional knowledge, I can make great efforts to promote and innovate the ICH in my hometown. On this way, I can also meet more like-minded young partners, gathering and struggling together, continuing to carry forward this valuable traditional culture.

It's not just a story of a young man, but a story of mine and a group of friends about paper-cut.\n\nMy first memory about paper-cut in childhood is the paper-cut for window decoration and Fu (lucky) character paper-cut. I was born in an artistic family, where grandma and grandpa are the inheritors of a national intangible cultural heritage. Thus, from childhood I yearned for art and beauty very much. When five years old, I began to follow my grandma, held a pair of scissors and hollowed out a picture on a piece of red paper. In the end, a lovely rabbit stood vividly as revealed on the paper. Even though my action was clumsy and the work was not exquisite, my grandmother was very pleased with my love for traditional art. After years of exercise, I gradually learned to cut cornflower, shoe flower, regiment flower, and other complex patterns of works. Every Chinese New Year, my family sits together, singing operas, writing calligraphy, and creating many festive paper-cuts as New Year gifts to relatives and friends. When my paper-cut is praised and loved by them, it deepens my love for the traditional art of paper-cut and stimulates my enthusiasm in learning it.\n\nWith gradual growth, I realized that paper-cut as intangible cultural heritage was facing the risk of loss. Fortunately, the country and even the whole world have paid more attention to the traditional culture and gave great help to the inheritors. However, as a teenager who loves traditional art, I should do something for saving it. Then I called my friends to learn making paper-cut together. Taking the principle of disseminating and inheriting paper-cut culture into consideration, my grandma set up a paper-cut class which was free of charge and available to everyone. From the scale of only a few people to dozens of people, more and more man who love paper-cut, including young people, kids and their parents, participate in this activity. We created, exercised and participated paper-cut competitions and exhibitions together. Gradually, more people came into contact with paper-cut and passed on this art.\n\nNow I have entered the university and have more free time and ways to learn and disseminate the art of paper-cut. In the summer social practice activities in 2018, I led more than ten students back to my hometown, Binzhou, Shandong Province, to conduct a systematic survey of paper-cut art. After interviewing four paper-cutting inheritors including my grandmother, the students also learned the paper-cut skills from them and created a series of paper-cut which was our school—— Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s architecture. At the same time, we also went into a kindergarten to help the pupils learn paper-cut. When I saw the eagerness for learning paper-cut in their eyes, I seemed to return to the first time I got scissors and felt excited beyond my words and was proud of my contribution to help my grandmother disseminate the art of paper-cut continuously. In order to better protect and promote the works, our practice members also made postcards of the paper-cut for the school, as creative cultural products loved by students and teachers. What’s more, this series of postcards become gifts as a microcosm of the school and even Chinese culture to exchange with universities in China and other countries.\n\nAs young people in the new era, bred in the precious cultural heritage left by the wise ancients, facing the impact of fashion culture and the risk of heritage loss, we should think about the inheritance and innovation of these cultures. My grandma once picked up a lot of fallen leaves when she was walking on the roadside, and carefully figured out their shapes and drew them as paper-cut patterns. In her eyes, there is no absolute consistency among all things in the world. Even the expression of leaf patterns on paper-cut has thousands of ways. People need to observe and think about the world carefully and then try to make these ideas become works of art. The changes between them may be the cultural power given to human beings. \n\nOut of love for ICH, in the previous summer vacation, I participated in a research project on ICH in southwest China organized by the school, whose purpose is to produce some creative products to help local people get rid of poverty. The destination is Guizhou, a gathering place of minority nationalities. I am very gratified to see that Miao children are still learning embroidery and silver ornaments with national characteristics. When interviewing the administrator of thousands of Miao stockade tourist attractions, I asked her how she viewed the inheritance of local non-heritage culture. She said that there are two ways: one is education, which means to let ICH into schools and children have more contact with such culture; the other is commercialization, on the basis of non-legacy culture to create cultural products adapting to the times. In the end, people can’t only get benefits but also better spread ethnic culture. The same is true for paper-cut. While retaining the essence of paper-cut, innovation to adapt to the times is the best inheritance, like Mr. Geng, one of the inheritors of Binzhou paper-cut, who applied the paper-cut elements to blue printed cloth which could make clothes and then sold them everywhere. Commercial operation not only brings him considerable income, but also promotes the culture of paper-cut.\n\nAs an undergraduate student, my strength is still very weak, but I hope that through my continuous learning of art, communication, and other professional knowledge, I can make great efforts to promote and innovate the ICH in my hometown. On this way, I can also meet more like-minded young partners, gathering and struggling together, continuing to carry forward this valuable traditional culture.

It's not just a story of a young man, but a story of mine and a group of friends about paper-cut.\n\nMy first memory about paper-cut in childhood is the paper-cut for window decoration and Fu (lucky) character paper-cut. I was born in an artistic family, where grandma and grandpa are the inheritors of a national intangible cultural heritage. Thus, from childhood I yearned for art and beauty very much. When five years old, I began to follow my grandma, held a pair of scissors and hollowed out a picture on a piece of red paper. In the end, a lovely rabbit stood vividly as revealed on the paper. Even though my action was clumsy and the work was not exquisite, my grandmother was very pleased with my love for traditional art. After years of exercise, I gradually learned to cut cornflower, shoe flower, regiment flower, and other complex patterns of works. Every Chinese New Year, my family sits together, singing operas, writing calligraphy, and creating many festive paper-cuts as New Year gifts to relatives and friends. When my paper-cut is praised and loved by them, it deepens my love for the traditional art of paper-cut and stimulates my enthusiasm in learning it.\n\nWith gradual growth, I realized that paper-cut as intangible cultural heritage was facing the risk of loss. Fortunately, the country and even the whole world have paid more attention to the traditional culture and gave great help to the inheritors. However, as a teenager who loves traditional art, I should do something for saving it. Then I called my friends to learn making paper-cut together. Taking the principle of disseminating and inheriting paper-cut culture into consideration, my grandma set up a paper-cut class which was free of charge and available to everyone. From the scale of only a few people to dozens of people, more and more man who love paper-cut, including young people, kids and their parents, participate in this activity. We created, exercised and participated paper-cut competitions and exhibitions together. Gradually, more people came into contact with paper-cut and passed on this art.\n\nNow I have entered the university and have more free time and ways to learn and disseminate the art of paper-cut. In the summer social practice activities in 2018, I led more than ten students back to my hometown, Binzhou, Shandong Province, to conduct a systematic survey of paper-cut art. After interviewing four paper-cutting inheritors including my grandmother, the students also learned the paper-cut skills from them and created a series of paper-cut which was our school—— Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s architecture. At the same time, we also went into a kindergarten to help the pupils learn paper-cut. When I saw the eagerness for learning paper-cut in their eyes, I seemed to return to the first time I got scissors and felt excited beyond my words and was proud of my contribution to help my grandmother disseminate the art of paper-cut continuously. In order to better protect and promote the works, our practice members also made postcards of the paper-cut for the school, as creative cultural products loved by students and teachers. What’s more, this series of postcards become gifts as a microcosm of the school and even Chinese culture to exchange with universities in China and other countries.\n\nAs young people in the new era, bred in the precious cultural heritage left by the wise ancients, facing the impact of fashion culture and the risk of heritage loss, we should think about the inheritance and innovation of these cultures. My grandma once picked up a lot of fallen leaves when she was walking on the roadside, and carefully figured out their shapes and drew them as paper-cut patterns. In her eyes, there is no absolute consistency among all things in the world. Even the expression of leaf patterns on paper-cut has thousands of ways. People need to observe and think about the world carefully and then try to make these ideas become works of art. The changes between them may be the cultural power given to human beings. \n\nOut of love for ICH, in the previous summer vacation, I participated in a research project on ICH in southwest China organized by the school, whose purpose is to produce some creative products to help local people get rid of poverty. The destination is Guizhou, a gathering place of minority nationalities. I am very gratified to see that Miao children are still learning embroidery and silver ornaments with national characteristics. When interviewing the administrator of thousands of Miao stockade tourist attractions, I asked her how she viewed the inheritance of local non-heritage culture. She said that there are two ways: one is education, which means to let ICH into schools and children have more contact with such culture; the other is commercialization, on the basis of non-legacy culture to create cultural products adapting to the times. In the end, people can’t only get benefits but also better spread ethnic culture. The same is true for paper-cut. While retaining the essence of paper-cut, innovation to adapt to the times is the best inheritance, like Mr. Geng, one of the inheritors of Binzhou paper-cut, who applied the paper-cut elements to blue printed cloth which could make clothes and then sold them everywhere. Commercial operation not only brings him considerable income, but also promotes the culture of paper-cut.\n\nAs an undergraduate student, my strength is still very weak, but I hope that through my continuous learning of art, communication, and other professional knowledge, I can make great efforts to promote and innovate the ICH in my hometown. On this way, I can also meet more like-minded young partners, gathering and struggling together, continuing to carry forward this valuable traditional culture.

Even though I don’t belong to any of the native tribes in Bukidnon (my parents were migrants), I have always considered myself as a native. Until I started college, this is the only place I have ever lived in. My home is that of small towns and tight-knit neighborhoods. We are known for our agricultural produce and green mountains instead of high-rise buildings and a bustling nightlife. Seeing a cow, a goat or a horse on the side of the road is normal. Mornings are still filled with sounds of roosters and robins. It’s not that we have been left behind by the modern times, it’s that we are trying to grow without losing our roots.\n\nBukidnon is located on the southern part of the Philippines. In a country known for its hot weather, coveted beaches, and frankly terrible traffic in the capital city, we’re a landlocked province on the island group of Mindanao, thriving in the cool mountains instead. Bukidnon literally translates to “mountain dweller”. And I think we dwell here just fine.\n\nEvery February to March, our province celebrates the Kaamulan Festival, an ethnic festival celebrating the seven Lumad (indigenous people) tribes of Bukidnon. It is the only authentic ethnic festival in the country. The Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon, and Umayamnon have inhabited the province long before the Spanish colonization. Even though the tribes have assimilated into modern society they have still retained their ancient practices. However, every year, it seems like the true essence of the festival is getting more and more lost. The advent of commercialization and tourism has placed the Lumad tribes in the background of the Kaamulan Festival. The month-long celebration has been recently defined by bringing in celebrities and politicians from the capital, a grandiose fireworks display, and appropriation of Lumad culture. In a festival that was supposed to celebrate the original dwellers of our home, they were put at the periphery.\n\nJust a few days ago, I visited a Talaandig community in the municipality of Lantapan to witness and participate in a river ritual called Panalawahig. It wasn’t my first time participating in a Lumad ritual, but it was my first time seeing it conducted by and on the river. I decided to do this because I wanted to document an authentic Lumad practice without the meddlesome politicians and their sleazy speeches.\n\nThe Lumads conduct a ritual for many reasons and occasions. But all of them have the intention of asking for guidance and protection from nature spirits and Magbabaya (God). The river ritual called Panalawahig, which took place last Friday, was to start the annual Talaandig Day and Indigenous Peoples Month celebration. The ritual requires offerings to the spirits, the most notable offering being native chickens. Their blood is spilled on the ground and the altar for the spirits; and they are cooked for the Panampulot, a feast where spirits are invited to partake.\n\nMy major takeaway from my short time with the Talaandig community was their graceful persistence to go on with life despite their collective struggle. Indigenous peoples sustainably manage about 50% of the world’s lands but have legal ownership rights to only 10%. They are also among the most vulnerable groups in the Philippines, and indigenous groups in my country are often killed and driven away from their ancestral lands by big corporations, paramilitary, and military. When Lumads and their allies go to the streets to protest for human rights, they are often mocked. And yet, despite all of these, they still insist to live as they always have. And why shouldn’t they? Long before strongmen regimes and oppressive systems have emerged, they were already here. And they should continue to be here.\n\nThe Talaandig and the other Lumad tribes have a rich and diverse culture. You see it in their traditional clothes with vivid colors and intricate patterns. You marvel at their visual artwork; how even a house built out of bamboo could look like something out of a whimsical fantasy movie, and how soil becomes a masterpiece in a canvas. You hear it in their music, the deep beat of the ethnic drums and the liveliness of their Binukid chants awakening the dormant dancer inside you. You feel it the moment you step foot on their ancestral lands, their solemn reverence and respect to nature apparent in their way of life. They only take what they need, and they never fail to give back. And yet they are often stereotypically labeled as the “uncivilized” when it was them who have been doing it right all along.\n\nWe are so obsessed with the idea of progress and development but is it really progress and development when it is at the expense of others? I want the kind of progress and development that does not shed the blood of the Lumads and take away their homes. I want the kind of progress and development that does not treat them as second-class citizens.\n\nWhen we were preparing to go to the river for the ritual, I heard one of the women say she’s bringing her young grandson. “Ato siyang i-uban. Dapat makabalo siya na nitibo ta.” We are bringing him with us. He should know that we are natives. I want Lumad kids to have a bright future to look forward to. I want them to freely practice their way of life, their art, music, and dances without fear of any of these being taken away from them.\n\nWhenever people from other places come to Bukidnon, I want them to know the mountains they came here to climb and the species that dwell in it are still thriving because of the Lumads, the ancient guardians of the forest.\n

Even though I don’t belong to any of the native tribes in Bukidnon (my parents were migrants), I have always considered myself as a native. Until I started college, this is the only place I have ever lived in. My home is that of small towns and tight-knit neighborhoods. We are known for our agricultural produce and green mountains instead of high-rise buildings and a bustling nightlife. Seeing a cow, a goat or a horse on the side of the road is normal. Mornings are still filled with sounds of roosters and robins. It’s not that we have been left behind by the modern times, it’s that we are trying to grow without losing our roots.\n\nBukidnon is located on the southern part of the Philippines. In a country known for its hot weather, coveted beaches, and frankly terrible traffic in the capital city, we’re a landlocked province on the island group of Mindanao, thriving in the cool mountains instead. Bukidnon literally translates to “mountain dweller”. And I think we dwell here just fine.\n\nEvery February to March, our province celebrates the Kaamulan Festival, an ethnic festival celebrating the seven Lumad (indigenous people) tribes of Bukidnon. It is the only authentic ethnic festival in the country. The Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon, and Umayamnon have inhabited the province long before the Spanish colonization. Even though the tribes have assimilated into modern society they have still retained their ancient practices. However, every year, it seems like the true essence of the festival is getting more and more lost. The advent of commercialization and tourism has placed the Lumad tribes in the background of the Kaamulan Festival. The month-long celebration has been recently defined by bringing in celebrities and politicians from the capital, a grandiose fireworks display, and appropriation of Lumad culture. In a festival that was supposed to celebrate the original dwellers of our home, they were put at the periphery.\n\nJust a few days ago, I visited a Talaandig community in the municipality of Lantapan to witness and participate in a river ritual called Panalawahig. It wasn’t my first time participating in a Lumad ritual, but it was my first time seeing it conducted by and on the river. I decided to do this because I wanted to document an authentic Lumad practice without the meddlesome politicians and their sleazy speeches.\n\nThe Lumads conduct a ritual for many reasons and occasions. But all of them have the intention of asking for guidance and protection from nature spirits and Magbabaya (God). The river ritual called Panalawahig, which took place last Friday, was to start the annual Talaandig Day and Indigenous Peoples Month celebration. The ritual requires offerings to the spirits, the most notable offering being native chickens. Their blood is spilled on the ground and the altar for the spirits; and they are cooked for the Panampulot, a feast where spirits are invited to partake.\n\nMy major takeaway from my short time with the Talaandig community was their graceful persistence to go on with life despite their collective struggle. Indigenous peoples sustainably manage about 50% of the world’s lands but have legal ownership rights to only 10%. They are also among the most vulnerable groups in the Philippines, and indigenous groups in my country are often killed and driven away from their ancestral lands by big corporations, paramilitary, and military. When Lumads and their allies go to the streets to protest for human rights, they are often mocked. And yet, despite all of these, they still insist to live as they always have. And why shouldn’t they? Long before strongmen regimes and oppressive systems have emerged, they were already here. And they should continue to be here.\n\nThe Talaandig and the other Lumad tribes have a rich and diverse culture. You see it in their traditional clothes with vivid colors and intricate patterns. You marvel at their visual artwork; how even a house built out of bamboo could look like something out of a whimsical fantasy movie, and how soil becomes a masterpiece in a canvas. You hear it in their music, the deep beat of the ethnic drums and the liveliness of their Binukid chants awakening the dormant dancer inside you. You feel it the moment you step foot on their ancestral lands, their solemn reverence and respect to nature apparent in their way of life. They only take what they need, and they never fail to give back. And yet they are often stereotypically labeled as the “uncivilized” when it was them who have been doing it right all along.\n\nWe are so obsessed with the idea of progress and development but is it really progress and development when it is at the expense of others? I want the kind of progress and development that does not shed the blood of the Lumads and take away their homes. I want the kind of progress and development that does not treat them as second-class citizens.\n\nWhen we were preparing to go to the river for the ritual, I heard one of the women say she’s bringing her young grandson. “Ato siyang i-uban. Dapat makabalo siya na nitibo ta.” We are bringing him with us. He should know that we are natives. I want Lumad kids to have a bright future to look forward to. I want them to freely practice their way of life, their art, music, and dances without fear of any of these being taken away from them.\n\nWhenever people from other places come to Bukidnon, I want them to know the mountains they came here to climb and the species that dwell in it are still thriving because of the Lumads, the ancient guardians of the forest.

Even though I don’t belong to any of the native tribes in Bukidnon (my parents were migrants), I have always considered myself as a native. Until I started college, this is the only place I have ever lived in. My home is that of small towns and tight-knit neighborhoods. We are known for our agricultural produce and green mountains instead of high-rise buildings and a bustling nightlife. Seeing a cow, a goat or a horse on the side of the road is normal. Mornings are still filled with sounds of roosters and robins. It’s not that we have been left behind by the modern times, it’s that we are trying to grow without losing our roots.\n\nBukidnon is located on the southern part of the Philippines. In a country known for its hot weather, coveted beaches, and frankly terrible traffic in the capital city, we’re a landlocked province on the island group of Mindanao, thriving in the cool mountains instead. Bukidnon literally translates to “mountain dweller”. And I think we dwell here just fine.\n\nEvery February to March, our province celebrates the Kaamulan Festival, an ethnic festival celebrating the seven Lumad (indigenous people) tribes of Bukidnon. It is the only authentic ethnic festival in the country. The Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon, and Umayamnon have inhabited the province long before the Spanish colonization. Even though the tribes have assimilated into modern society they have still retained their ancient practices. However, every year, it seems like the true essence of the festival is getting more and more lost. The advent of commercialization and tourism has placed the Lumad tribes in the background of the Kaamulan Festival. The month-long celebration has been recently defined by bringing in celebrities and politicians from the capital, a grandiose fireworks display, and appropriation of Lumad culture. In a festival that was supposed to celebrate the original dwellers of our home, they were put at the periphery.\n\nJust a few days ago, I visited a Talaandig community in the municipality of Lantapan to witness and participate in a river ritual called Panalawahig. It wasn’t my first time participating in a Lumad ritual, but it was my first time seeing it conducted by and on the river. I decided to do this because I wanted to document an authentic Lumad practice without the meddlesome politicians and their sleazy speeches.\n\nThe Lumads conduct a ritual for many reasons and occasions. But all of them have the intention of asking for guidance and protection from nature spirits and Magbabaya (God). The river ritual called Panalawahig, which took place last Friday, was to start the annual Talaandig Day and Indigenous Peoples Month celebration. The ritual requires offerings to the spirits, the most notable offering being native chickens. Their blood is spilled on the ground and the altar for the spirits; and they are cooked for the Panampulot, a feast where spirits are invited to partake.\n\nMy major takeaway from my short time with the Talaandig community was their graceful persistence to go on with life despite their collective struggle. Indigenous peoples sustainably manage about 50% of the world’s lands but have legal ownership rights to only 10%. They are also among the most vulnerable groups in the Philippines, and indigenous groups in my country are often killed and driven away from their ancestral lands by big corporations, paramilitary, and military. When Lumads and their allies go to the streets to protest for human rights, they are often mocked. And yet, despite all of these, they still insist to live as they always have. And why shouldn’t they? Long before strongmen regimes and oppressive systems have emerged, they were already here. And they should continue to be here.\n\nThe Talaandig and the other Lumad tribes have a rich and diverse culture. You see it in their traditional clothes with vivid colors and intricate patterns. You marvel at their visual artwork; how even a house built out of bamboo could look like something out of a whimsical fantasy movie, and how soil becomes a masterpiece in a canvas. You hear it in their music, the deep beat of the ethnic drums and the liveliness of their Binukid chants awakening the dormant dancer inside you. You feel it the moment you step foot on their ancestral lands, their solemn reverence and respect to nature apparent in their way of life. They only take what they need, and they never fail to give back. And yet they are often stereotypically labeled as the “uncivilized” when it was them who have been doing it right all along.\n\nWe are so obsessed with the idea of progress and development but is it really progress and development when it is at the expense of others? I want the kind of progress and development that does not shed the blood of the Lumads and take away their homes. I want the kind of progress and development that does not treat them as second-class citizens.\n\nWhen we were preparing to go to the river for the ritual, I heard one of the women say she’s bringing her young grandson. “Ato siyang i-uban. Dapat makabalo siya na nitibo ta.” We are bringing him with us. He should know that we are natives. I want Lumad kids to have a bright future to look forward to. I want them to freely practice their way of life, their art, music, and dances without fear of any of these being taken away from them.\n\nWhenever people from other places come to Bukidnon, I want them to know the mountains they came here to climb and the species that dwell in it are still thriving because of the Lumads, the ancient guardians of the forest.

It's not just a story of a young man, but a story of mine and a group of friends about paper-cut.\n\nMy first memory about paper-cut in childhood is the paper-cut for window decoration and Fu (lucky) character paper-cut. I was born in an artistic family, where grandma and grandpa are the inheritors of a national intangible cultural heritage. Thus, from childhood I yearned for art and beauty very much. When five years old, I began to follow my grandma, held a pair of scissors and hollowed out a picture on a piece of red paper. In the end, a lovely rabbit stood vividly as revealed on the paper. Even though my action was clumsy and the work was not exquisite, my grandmother was very pleased with my love for traditional art. After years of exercise, I gradually learned to cut cornflower, shoe flower, regiment flower, and other complex patterns of works. Every Chinese New Year, my family sits together, singing operas, writing calligraphy, and creating many festive paper-cuts as New Year gifts to relatives and friends. When my paper-cut is praised and loved by them, it deepens my love for the traditional art of paper-cut and stimulates my enthusiasm in learning it.\n\nWith gradual growth, I realized that paper-cut as intangible cultural heritage was facing the risk of loss. Fortunately, the country and even the whole world have paid more attention to the traditional culture and gave great help to the inheritors. However, as a teenager who loves traditional art, I should do something for saving it. Then I called my friends to learn making paper-cut together. Taking the principle of disseminating and inheriting paper-cut culture into consideration, my grandma set up a paper-cut class which was free of charge and available to everyone. From the scale of only a few people to dozens of people, more and more man who love paper-cut, including young people, kids and their parents, participate in this activity. We created, exercised and participated paper-cut competitions and exhibitions together. Gradually, more people came into contact with paper-cut and passed on this art.\n\nNow I have entered the university and have more free time and ways to learn and disseminate the art of paper-cut. In the summer social practice activities in 2018, I led more than ten students back to my hometown, Binzhou, Shandong Province, to conduct a systematic survey of paper-cut art. After interviewing four paper-cutting inheritors including my grandmother, the students also learned the paper-cut skills from them and created a series of paper-cut which was our school—— Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s architecture. At the same time, we also went into a kindergarten to help the pupils learn paper-cut. When I saw the eagerness for learning paper-cut in their eyes, I seemed to return to the first time I got scissors and felt excited beyond my words and was proud of my contribution to help my grandmother disseminate the art of paper-cut continuously. In order to better protect and promote the works, our practice members also made postcards of the paper-cut for the school, as creative cultural products loved by students and teachers. What’s more, this series of postcards become gifts as a microcosm of the school and even Chinese culture to exchange with universities in China and other countries.\n\nAs young people in the new era, bred in the precious cultural heritage left by the wise ancients, facing the impact of fashion culture and the risk of heritage loss, we should think about the inheritance and innovation of these cultures. My grandma once picked up a lot of fallen leaves when she was walking on the roadside, and carefully figured out their shapes and drew them as paper-cut patterns. In her eyes, there is no absolute consistency among all things in the world. Even the expression of leaf patterns on paper-cut has thousands of ways. People need to observe and think about the world carefully and then try to make these ideas become works of art. The changes between them may be the cultural power given to human beings. \n\nOut of love for ICH, in the previous summer vacation, I participated in a research project on ICH in southwest China organized by the school, whose purpose is to produce some creative products to help local people get rid of poverty. The destination is Guizhou, a gathering place of minority nationalities. I am very gratified to see that Miao children are still learning embroidery and silver ornaments with national characteristics. When interviewing the administrator of thousands of Miao stockade tourist attractions, I asked her how she viewed the inheritance of local non-heritage culture. She said that there are two ways: one is education, which means to let ICH into schools and children have more contact with such culture; the other is commercialization, on the basis of non-legacy culture to create cultural products adapting to the times. In the end, people can’t only get benefits but also better spread ethnic culture. The same is true for paper-cut. While retaining the essence of paper-cut, innovation to adapt to the times is the best inheritance, like Mr. Geng, one of the inheritors of Binzhou paper-cut, who applied the paper-cut elements to blue printed cloth which could make clothes and then sold them everywhere. Commercial operation not only brings him considerable income, but also promotes the culture of paper-cut.\n\nAs an undergraduate student, my strength is still very weak, but I hope that through my continuous learning of art, communication, and other professional knowledge, I can make great efforts to promote and innovate the ICH in my hometown. On this way, I can also meet more like-minded young partners, gathering and struggling together, continuing to carry forward this valuable traditional culture.