Inheriting and carrying forward traditional culture with literary and artistic innovation

Video loading …

Video production: intern Wu Menghan

The symposium on cultural inheritance and development held on June 2, 2023 proposed that we should adhere to integrity and innovation, keep the integrity and spirit of integrity and innovation, continue the historical context, and write contemporary Chinese chapters. How to innovate literary and artistic works in the new era? In response to the above problems, People’s Daily interviewed Dilinar Abra, vice chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and chairman of Xinjiang Dancers Association.

Moderator:How to treat the relationship between literary and artistic innovation and inheriting and developing traditional culture? How to innovate literary and artistic works in the new era?

Dilinar Abra:Innovation is the first driving force to lead the development of literature and art.

The innovation of literary and artistic works in the new era should adhere to the position of Chinese culture and make Chinese excellent traditional culture an important source of literary and artistic innovation. Literary and art workers should strive to draw nutrition and wisdom from Chinese excellent traditional culture, continue cultural genes, extract ideological essence and show spiritual charm.

Innovation is the life of literature and art. Only when literary and art workers follow the life innovation of the times and innovate with their own artistic style will the literary and art garden be full of spring scenery and flowers bloom. Only by putting the spirit of innovation into the whole process of literary and artistic creation and production, enhancing the original ability of literature and art, fully developing in genre, theme, form and means, and promoting the innovation of concept, content and style, can literary and artistic creation move towards a broader world.

Make full use of new technologies and means to expand the new space of literature and art. New technology leads to media changes, and gives birth to new literary ideas and practices. Literary and art workers should fully understand the relationship between art and technology, enrich cultural connotation, explore new means of expression and realize the new integration of art and technology.

The era has provided an unprecedented broad stage for the prosperity and development of literature and art. Literary and art workers should grasp the historical process and the general trend of the times, take root in the fertile soil of life, bravely climb the peak of literature and art, achieve new achievements in integrity and innovation, strive to create excellent works worthy of our great nation and great era, and strive to write a new chapter in literary and artistic glory in the new era.

Moderator:As a national dance artist, how do you think to inherit and develop China classical dance? How to Incorporate Xinjiang Ethnic Dances into China Classical Dance System?

Dilinar Abra:China classical dance is a kind of Chinese classical dance with Chinese traditional humanistic spirit, dance language, high aesthetic formula and cultural connotation, and exemplary aesthetic meaning, which has been gradually formed by several generations of professional dance artists through continuous refining, sorting, processing, research and creation of traditional operas, unearthed cultural relics images, literature records and folk traditional dances. At present, it has formed a genre and great influence.

We should see that the dance cultures of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang today, especially the folk dances represented by Xinjiang Uygur Muqam art and Tajik eagle dance, all have the cultural attributes of China classical dance, and should be regarded as an organic part of China classical dance genre. From its historical development and cultural aesthetic paradigm, China’s classical dance should also have the "pluralistic" atmosphere and tension of the classical dance of all ethnic groups in China, so as to better build a pluralistic "dance community" of the Chinese nation.

Xinjiang minority dance was produced in the production and life of ethnic minorities, which is an important embodiment of the production and life and humanistic customs at that time, and it is also a treasure of Xinjiang minority traditional culture.

I suggest that, first, organize dance experts to sort out the dances of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang that conform to the concept and characteristics of China classical dance, and form a convincing theoretical and practical basis.

The second is to establish the China Xinjiang classical dance system in education and teaching, gradually improve and develop the types of China Xinjiang classical dance, and make contributions to enriching the connotation of China classical dance.

The third is to organize professional teams and special funds to conduct thematic research around the "pluralistic integration" pattern of China classical dance and the historical cultural requirement of building a "dance community" of the Chinese nation.

Moderator:How can the cultures of various ethnic groups in the border areas better integrate into Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture while maintaining their unique charm?

Dilinar Abra:China has a long history of culture and profound Chinese civilization. As a part of China traditional culture, frontier ethnic culture is an important part of China excellent traditional culture, which is of great significance in promoting the cultural development of the Chinese nation, promoting national unity and harmony, protecting and inheriting Chinese excellent cultural traditions, and has extensive social significance and cultural value.

In the process of inheriting and carrying forward China’s excellent traditional culture, red revolutionary culture and modern socialist culture, how to integrate national characteristics into them is an important measure to continuously enhance the sense of identity, an effective starting point for building the sense of community of the Chinese nation, and also the key to building the foundation of national unity.

How can the cultures of various ethnic groups in the border areas better integrate into Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture while maintaining their unique charm? Let me talk about my understanding from three aspects.

First, we must uphold the leadership of the party. It is always under the care of our party that the frontier minority cultures have a steady stream of vitality and the direction of progress. As we all know, Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam art has been successfully selected into the United Nations oral and intangible cultural heritage list of mankind. The outstanding achievements in the inheritance and protection of Kirgiz national epic Manas, Mongolian Long Tune, Kazak Aites, Xinjiang Huaer and Xinjiang Han Shehuo and their inclusion in the national intangible cultural heritage list are all achieved under the strong leadership and care of the Party and the joint efforts of cultural and artistic workers of all ethnic groups.

Xinjiang has a vast territory, scattered population and diversified development of culture and art, which benefits from and is limited by this. Only under the leadership of the party can we realize effective resource integration and make the vitality of folk art more vigorous; Only under the leadership of the Party can the cultures and arts of all ethnic groups find their roots and souls, conduct systematic research and excavation, and truly achieve prosperity and development; Only under the leadership of the Party can we accurately locate the cultural and artistic characteristics of all ethnic groups, grasp the direction, go to the whole country and the world, and make contributions to telling the story of China.

The second is to cast a solid sense of the Chinese nation’s community from the roots. To organically integrate Chinese excellent traditional culture with national characteristics, it is necessary to dig deep into the unique cultural connotation of the Chinese nation. For example, in terms of culture and art, eating habits, traditional festivals, etc., under the guidance of the cultural concept of beauty and beauty, the artistic characteristics of all ethnic groups are integrated into Chinese traditional festivals, which better enriches the festive atmosphere of festivals and increases the expressions of culture and art of all ethnic groups.

To realize the integration of national characteristics and Chinese excellent traditional culture, it is necessary to strengthen education and publicity. Let more people know about the cultural and artistic characteristics of all ethnic groups under the pattern of pluralistic integration of Chinese culture, and then stimulate people’s cultural self-confidence and pride.

"Feelings of home and country" has always been a constant source of life for the cultural and artistic inheritance and development of our ethnic groups. From a historical point of view, the Western Regions Daduhufu, Anxi Daduhufu, Yili General’s Mansion, the brocade armguard of "Five Stars Going to the East to Benefit China", and the 18th Western Regions Daduhu Li Chong general print are historical witnesses of the multi-ethnic co-prosperity and development in Xinjiang history.

Vigorously tap the highlights of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s advanced culture in the new era, vigorously promote the combination of Xinjiang song and dance art and realistic themes, give full play to artistic advantages, and tell the Xinjiang chapter of China’s story well.

At the same time, we need to strengthen the protection and inheritance of traditional culture. Traditional culture relies on word of mouth, but in modern society, with the changes of lifestyle and ideas, the inheritance of traditional culture is facing great challenges. Therefore, we need to take a series of measures, such as establishing a perfect traditional culture protection system and strengthening the investment in the research and inheritance of traditional culture, so as to ensure the good protection and inheritance of Chinese excellent traditional culture and national characteristics.

Third, we must adhere to the pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese culture and be upright and innovative. China traditional culture has unique artistic expressions, such as painting, sculpture, poetry and so on. China’s traditional culture has absorbed the national cultural characteristics of the border areas, such as the cheerfulness and boldness of Xinjiang’s song and dance art, and a strong sense of substitution on the spot, which greatly enriched the artistic expressions.

In the Internet age, under the trend of the integration of new media and self-media, the ethnic cultures in the border areas should stick to the position of Chinese culture, show the core values of Chinese excellent traditional culture to the audience, and on this basis, show the cultural and artistic characteristics of all ethnic groups, so as to achieve the role of empathy through art.

The frontier national culture and China traditional culture are complementary and integrated, and this cultural integration has important social significance and cultural value. Border ethnic culture plays an irreplaceable role in promoting China’s cultural diversity and national unity and harmony.

Therefore, it is a historical necessity to integrate national characteristics into Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture. It is a bright topic in the new era to fully display the cultural and artistic characteristics of all ethnic groups, and it is also a problem that we need to pay attention to and think about in the process of inheriting and carrying forward traditional culture. We will continue to give full play to the cultural and artistic characteristics of the ethnic minorities in the border areas on the basis of the cultural core of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, and make our due contribution to telling the Xinjiang chapter of China’s story.

(Editor: Feng Chunyun, He Yingchun)