Word-of-mouth keeps tradition alive

Young Cantonese storytelling enthusiast helps stem decline of intangible cultural heritage

Peng Jiazhi, 28, stages Cantonese storytelling performances in a chess room at Guangzhou's Cultural Park every Monday morning.

During each performance, he speaks about 24,000 Chinese words in two hours, using varying pitch, facial expressions, gestures, an eye-grabbing board and a folded fan to convey scenes mostly from ancient stories, such as Heroes in Sui and Tang Dynasties and Romance of the Three Kingdoms.