"I never thought I would learn about Chinese folk culture through MAG!" "This craft is really marvelous, exquisite and admirable."...... Recently, on the overseas platform YouTube, netizens from the UK, Japan, South Korea and other countries left comments in the comment section of a intangible cultural heritage documentary featuring woodblock prints to express their admiration.
The documentary, which has been broadcasted over 4 million times on the whole network in only 3 days after its release, it is The Journey to Pick Up the Flow of Light produced by the globally popular game Genshin Impact. Under the guidance of the Non-heritage Division of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the documentary was supported by Xuhui District's special funds for cultural development, and it showcases the charm of China's intangible cultural heritage to players around the globe through the continuous search for intangible cultural heritage bearers. It has been distributed in over 200 countries and regions and produced in 15 languages with subtitles.
The first installment of The Journey to Pick Up the Flow of Light focuses on woodblock prints. Posting woodblock prints is a traditional custom during the Chinese New Year. In the documentary, Yang Naidong, the inheritor of Yangjiabu woodblock prints, a representative national intangible cultural heritage project, carved a total of 22 wooden boards to carve and print the images of the Liyue region of the Original God into a colorful and dynamic woodblock print work.
Generally speaking, there are only 3 to 6 colors in the work of Chinese New Year paintings, while Yang Naidong used a total of 22 colors in this engraved Chinese New Year painting, and each color requires a separate engraved color plate, which needs to be printed a total of 22 times to be completed. "Making woodblock prints is a lifelong endeavor. I want to do a good job with what I have in my hands and pass it on from generation to generation." Yang Naidong said.
"The sun and the moon are shown in a square inch, and in the palm of the hand, it attracts people's love." In the second installment of The Journey to Pick Up the Flow of Light focuses on the representative figure of "Hengshui Inner Painting", Wang Ziyong is an intangible cultural heritage bearer. In Genshin Impact, there is a cave of immortals hidden between the cliffs, as well as a bustling market and a leisurely countryside. These fantastical scenes full of oriental flavor are reproduced in the snuff bottles by the artist's skillful hands.
"Most of the techniques of interior painting are inherited from Chinese painting, and the Genshin Impact scenes inspired by Chinese landscapes complement the interior paintings." Wang Ziyong said. He believes that in order to carry forward the art of inner painting, it must be combined with contemporary life and constantly innovated.
In the view of art theorist and intangible cultural heritage protection expert Chen Anying, the protection of intangible cultural heritage should be seen in people, objects and life, exploring diversified inheritance and dissemination methods, so that the intangible cultural heritage can be integrated into modern life, especially into the lives of young people.
The posting of woodblock prints is a traditional custom during the Chinese New Year. And within the fantasy world constructed by Genshin Impact, there is also a grand festive being celebrated.
The "Sea Lantern Festival" is held on the first full moon of the year, with the Lantern Festival as a reference. During last year's festival, users could "make fireworks", guess lantern riddles, and explore the origins of the traditions. A new character, Yun Sumire, was introduced with opera elements, and a song called Devastation and Redemption brought by Yun Sumire was very popular.
Performed by Yang Yang, a performer from the Shanghai Peking Opera Theater, The Devastation and Redemption has not only sparked widespread dissemination and buzz on the Chinese and foreign Internet, but has also encouraged dozens of opera performers, including Cantonese Opera, Kunqu Opera, and Huangmei Opera, to cover the song on their own initiative.
This year's Sea Lantern Festival saw the return of the popularity of the traditional Chinese shadow puppet theater-inspired puzzle game "Paper Shadow Theater". This puzzle game is fun to play and is an innovative expression of traditional Chinese culture.
From the "Sea Lantern Festival", Devastation and Redemption, "Paper Shadow Theater" to the documentary The Journey to Pick Up the Flow of Light, the producer miHoYo is committed to exporting Chinese culture on the basis of Genshin Impact. In October 2022, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the "Top 10 Cases of Digital Innovation and Practice in Culture and Tourism", in which miHoYo was listed as one of the top ten cases of "Exploration of Cultural Communication and Tourism Promotion Mode Using Games as Carrier".
Nowadays, experiencing the charm of traditional culture in the "Sea Lantern Festival" has gradually become the annual expectation and habit of the user group of Genshin Impact. Liu Wei, founder and president of miHoYo, said, "In the future, we will continue to explore more forms to skillfully display Chinese culture, so that the game can become an important carrier of cultural inheritance and cultural self-confidence, and at the same time, let more people understand Chinese culture and love Chinese culture."