Chongqing gets creative in efforts to promote culture

CHONGQING — Pickaxes, trowels and luoyang shovels are a common enough sight at archaeological excavations, but at one cafe in Southwest China's Chongqing, these items adorn the walls.

Together with over 30 replicas of ancient pottery on display in a cabinet and three posters featuring a white tiger that originates from ancient Chinese mythology, they help identify the venue as an archaeology-themed coffee shop.

Launched by Chongqing's Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, in cooperation with a cultural company, the cafe not only caters to regular customers, but also holds seminars on archaeology to educate the public, according to co-founder Zhao Qingyu.

It has now become a popular space for young people, especially those interested in history and art, providing an inspiring place to relax while enjoying a cup of coffee.

"History can be abstract and heavy, but it is transformed here into vivid and lively handicrafts and peripheral products," said Deng Yulian, a local college student who is a regular customer. "The combination of historical relics and creative cultural products is particularly interesting."

The cafe is one of several locations in Chongqing that have been using creativity to promote cultural relics to help teach people about Chinese history and traditions.

In a quaint building at the institute, an immersive interactive play set in the 1940s is being staged. The audience can choose to play a role, influencing the development of the plot.

As a historical site, it has become a smash hit across the city, attracting hundreds of people every week. "We used to sit in the audience and watch the play, but now, for the first time, we were able to drive the story as participants and develop the play through our actions and the storyline," said audience member Ju Qiang.

According to Qin Sisi, a project director with Chongqing Changjia Cultural Tourism, the performance reflects a new approach to historical sites.

"The building is not regarded simply as an exhibition hall or as something on display," Qin said. "Rather, we have combined its historical and cultural stories to create an immersive drama, and we have generated a new form of business by extending its cultural connotations."

China has made notable progress in the protection of cultural relics over the past 10 years and has promoted the creative transformation and development of traditions.

By the end of last year, there were 108 million items that are State-owned movable cultural relics and about 767,000 immovable ones.

The number of world heritage sites in China stands at 56, ranking second in the world, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Official data show that Chongqing has about 26,000 immovable cultural relics and over 1.48 million movable ones. The establishment of the archaeology-themed cafe and the immersive play are just two examples of how Chongqing is working to promote history and culture.

Bai Jiujiang, director of the cultural relics institute, is optimistic about the future. Through the combination of archaeology, technology and tourism, Chinese culture will generate more vitality and cultural relics will appeal to wider audiences, Bai said.

Xinhua