To thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping’s thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, especially General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on youth work, the Youth League General Branch of the School of Film and Television Art in HNMMC, conducted a social practice volunteer activity for country people with the theme of “Integrating the ego self into the greater self, and dedicating youth to the motherland” in the summer vacation of 2020.

(Photo of the Activity Team and Yang Shide, the Inheritor of Changsha Folk Songs)

On September 16, a group of 12 members of the volunteer activity team set off from HNMMC to Qingshanpu Town, Changsha County. The first stop was the Qingshanpu Bamboo Strip Weaving Cultural Center, where volunteers were led to visit and learn by the center staff. The museum displayed daily farm utensils and daily necessities woven with bamboo strips, as well as bamboo strips landscape paintings with elaborate craftsmanship and ingenious design. On December 11, 2018, the "Qingshanpu Bamboo Strips Weaving" was successfully declared as the municipal intangible cultural heritage of Changsha City.

(Visit Qingshanpu Bamboo Strip Weaving Cultural Center)

Changsha County has a long history and profound cultural heritage. It is the place where the Huxiang culture accumulated. The folk songs of Changsha County were also born in time. The Qingshanpu Training Institute of Changsha Folk Songs was the second stop of the activity. At the Institute, volunteers met Yang Shide, the inheritor of the city-level intangible cultural heritage "Changsha Folk Song". This aged man was of medium build and thin face, and walked vigorously.He warmly welcomed the volunteers, smiled and asked them to call him "Grandpa De". The institute displayed various agricultural machinery, daily life utensils, ritual props, contract documents, Confucian religious and cultural books, traditional bamboo crafts, audio-visual materials of theater and folk songs, and tools for ritual activities. Grandpa De proudly introduced the exhibits and told the stories about him going to the countryside to collect these "treasures".

(The Team Members Visited Qingshanpu Folk Songs Training Institute)

At the end of the visit, volunteers sat together and learned to sing folk songs. "Grandpa De" mentioned that Changsha folk songs appeared among the people a long time ago, and it wasn’t interrupted during the Cultural Revolution. In recent years, as the Central Committee of CPC attaches great importance to intangible cultural heritage, giving an opportunity for Changsha folk songs to be re-excavated, recorded, organized, and passed on. "Grandpa De" started with Changsha folk songs at the age of 16, and it has been 60 years now. Five years ago, he realized that traditional folk songs should be passed on, which cannot be done by himself alone. Hence, he and his old partners, 80-year-old Yang Yongwo and 72-year-old Feng Fuchu, formed a band, named "Happy Old Men", among them the oldest is 80 years old and the youngest is 60 years old. Every member of the band plays the Huqin and the flute well and can sing folk songs. "Grandpa De" now has 8 apprentices. Under the joint promotion of them, "Grandpa De" and his apprentices held several Changsha folk song performances and trainings in Primary and Middle Schools in Changsha County. Changsha folk songs floated out of the fields and into the hearts of the children. "Rice is yummy but difficult to grow," the song was sang by "Grandpa De". Shouldering his expectations for the young people to study hard and be the inheritor of Chinese excellent traditional culture, the volunteers successfully concluded this activity. The students expressed that this trip has been very rewarding. They not only felt the charm and craftsmanship of intangible cultural heritage, but also grew a sense of responsibility and mission to inherit the excellent Chinese culture.

The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that cultural confidence is a more basic, profound and everlasting force in the development of a country and a nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in many important speeches that the excellent traditional Chinese culture contains a strong national spirit, value and strength. We should strive to use all the spiritual wealth created by the Chinese nation to cultivate and educate people with culture. By actively guiding college students to comprehend the historical origin, development context and basic trend behind the excellent Chinese traditional culture, we should explain to them the unique creation, value concept and distinctive characteristics of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and promote their understanding, preference, innovation and development of the excellent Chinese tradition. In this way, we can enhance college students’ cultural confidence in socialism with Chinese characteristics and lay a solid foundation for college students to strengthen their confidence in the path, system, and theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, creating a sound background for the healthy growth of college students.