简体中文
"Ifitweren'tfortheInternetandsocialnetworks,whowouldknoworcareaboutacollapsingtowerinaremotevillage?IusedtowriteletterstothelocalauthoritieswhenIdiscoveredendangeredarchitecture,butIneverreceivedanyfeedback.However,onceitdevelopsonline,publicopinioncanprompttheauthoritiestotakesteps,"Tangsaid."CulturalheritagesitesfromChina'slonghistoryaredisappearing,butusingtheInternet,especiallysocialnetworks,wecanprotect,andevenrenovate,them."
Accordingtoa2011archaeologicalsurvey,thelastcarriedoutinChina,inthepastthreedecadesmorethan40,000immovableculturalrelicshavedisappearedatanaverageofmorethan1,000everyyear.
TangsaidShanxiprovincehas280,000sitesofancientarchitecture,morethananyotherprovince,andbecauseQixiancountyisfamousforitslargenumberofrelic-richresources,theWenfengPagodaandseveralotherendangeredsiteswereinalonglineofhistoricbuildingsawaitingrepair.
"Thebadnewsistheycan'twaittoolong.Theyneedgreaterattentionandsupport,whichissomethingwecangenerateontheInternet,"hesaid.Since2012,thenumberofpeoplefollowinghismicrobloghasgrownfrom100tomorethan10,000,and16ofthe30endangeredsiteshehaspostedhavebeenrepaired.
"Socialnetworksbringthesehistoricsitesfromtheremotemountainousareastocenterstage,"hesaid."It'sallaboutattractingattention."
Acolorfulpast
WuZiqi,21,hasspentthelastyearrecordingthehistoryofhishometown,ZhanjianginGuangdongprovince.Thecityhasacolorfulpast,havingbeenleasedtoFrancebetween1899and1942,andoccupiedbyJapanfrom1943until1945,whenitsnamewaschangedfromGuangzhouwan,orKwangchowan,toZhanjiang.
Wu,aseniorhistorymajor,saidthecity'scolonialhistoryisinsignificantintermsofacademicresearch,"butasapersonwhowasbornandraisedinthecity,IfeelIhavearesponsibilitytorecordthestories,"hesaid.
Alongwithhisteamofabout10volunteers,mostlystudents,Wuhasinterviewedmorethan150peoplewholivedinZhanjiangduringthecolonialyears.Thestorieswerepostedonlineandsofartheyhaveattractedmorethan1.9millionhits.
Tocontinuetheproject,WustartedafundraisingcampaignonWeChat,China'smostpopularmessagingapp,andabout3,000peopledonatedmorethan18,000yuan($2,900)injust24days.
Wusaidhisresearchhasunearthedalargenumberofpreviouslyunheardstories,includingtheoriginsofPaiGuFan,afamouslocaldishofboiledribswithrice,whichwasoncethestaplebreakfastforlaborers.
"Eventhesmallestthinghasahistoryworthrecording,"hesaid."Withouthelpfromthepublic,thosestorieswilldiewiththeoldergeneration."
WuTing,seniorprogrammanagerforthecharityplatformsofTencentHoldingsLtd,whichownsWeChat,saidthecompanyislookingformoreprojectstohelpprotectChina'sdisappearingculturalheritage.
"Mostendangeredsitesareunattended.Theyaren'tpopular,sotheydon'tattractalotofsupport.Wedon'texpecttosavethemwithafewbigdonations,"shesaid."Althoughtheindividualdonationsaresmall,thelargenumberofpeoplemakingdonationsonlinemeansthatthetotalsumisconsiderable.Theprocessoffundraisingisalsoabouteducation,andwewantpeopletolearnsomethingaboutthecity'shistorywhentheydonate10or20yuan."
AccordingtoWuTing,mostoftheprojectsontheWeChatdonationplatformsettargetsoflessthan1millionyuan-thesumisusuallyabout20,000to30,000yuan-andthedonationsareworthlessthan10yuanonaverage.SinceTencentopenedtheplatformtodonorsinOctober2013,ithasreceivedalmost25milliondonationsworthatotalof238millionyuan.
OneofthethingsTencenthasnoticedisthatmostpeopledonateviamobiledevices,ratherthancomputers.
Smartphoneapps
"Tofullyutilizethesocialnetworks,we'vedevelopedasmartphoneapplicationaboutthehistoryof'Kwangchowan',"saidZhouTengda,28,directoroftheKwangchowanHistoryResearchGroup.
Ittookhimamonthtocreatetheapp,whichcontainsmorethan500photosandstoriesaddinguptoabout500,000Chinesecharacters.Insteadofprinting5,000booksorpamphletsatacostofabout25,000yuan,Zhouoptedtousetheapp,whichcostlessthan1,000yuan.
"Digitalpublicationischeap,andit'salsoagoodwayofstoringallthematerial,"hesaid."Theyoungergenerationistheonethatwillkeepandpassonthisheritage,soweneedtopresentthecontentinawaytheyarefamiliarwithandinterestedin."
Bytheendoftheyear,Zhouwillunveilawebsitethatwillenablepeoplenationwidetouploadtheirfamilyhistoriesandcommunicatewitheachothertoswapstoriesandothermaterials.
"IhopeourresearchworkinZhanjiangcanbeexpandedacrossthenation,"hesaid."Socialnetworksconnectpeopleandthatmakesiteasierforustosaveourhistorytogether."
Theprofessionalartist
Usingthepresenttopreservethepast
InthecountywhereIgrewup,therewerealotofcraftsmen.Manyofthemwerefarmerswhotraveledaroundthelocalvillageslookingforworkduringtheslackseason.WhenIwas16,amancametoourhousetohelpuspaintawoodencloset.Ittookhimtwoweekstofinishthejob.Iwatchedhimpainting,sketchinganddrawingonthecloset,andwasimpressedbyhispatienceandthebeautyoftraditionalChinesepainting.
Hepaintedmountains,riversandancientbeauties,thecommonestthemesinChinesepainting.Buthepaintedsocarefullythatitwaslikehewaspouringhisemotionsandlifeintothework.
Itwassnowingoutside,butverywarminthehouse.Iwatchedhimworkingbythefireplaceandwasdeeplymoved.Thatmanwasanartist.IhavebeeninterestedintheartssinceIwasalittleboy,butthatscenewasdefinitelyoneofthemosttouchingmomentsinmyartcareer.
Sadly,peoplenolongermakethingsthemselves,andthebeautifultechniquesaredisappearing.ThereasonIchosetodrawanddesignmasksforShanxiOperawasthatIdidn'twanttheartformtodiewiththeoldergeneration.
Idisplaymymasksinmystudioandvisitorscometoseethem.Ididn'ttrusttheInternetbeforebecauseinformationonlineisoftenincompleteandunverified,butnowIrealizethatIcanintroducemyworktomanymorepeopleonlinethaninanyotherway.
Thelocalhistorian
AlthoughIwasbornandraisedinamoderncommunityinZhanjiangcityinGuangdongprovince,Ididn'tknowmuchaboutmyhometown'soldestneighborhood,whichispoor,withnarrowstreets,andbadlymanaged.Manyhomesdon'tevenhaveawashroom,sopeoplehavetousethepublictoilets.
WhenIinterviewedmorethan50peoplewholivedintheneighborhoodbefore1945,Iheardalotofamazingstoriesaboutmyhometown,includingtalesfrom85-year-oldLiangJinming,whowastwicethreatenedatgunpointbyJapaneseandKuomingtangsoldierswhentheytriedtostealitemsfromhisgrocerystore.
Hegavemeatouroftheneighborhoodandintroducedmetootherseniorswhoknowthetown'shistory.Hesaidhewantedtotellmeallthestoriesofhislife.Ifelthiseagernesstosavehismemoriesofthatperiodofhistory,andasahistorystudentIhavearesponsibilitytorecordthem.
Recordingthehistoryofmyhometownisahugeproject,butwehavefewerthan20people,mostlystudents,andourresourcesareverylimited.SowechosetheInternetforpromotionalpurposes,toraisemoneyandtopublishourwork.Wehaveinterviewedmorethan150peopleandwritten110stories.Ourworkwouldneverhavereceivedsomuchsupportandcoverageifnotfortheattentionweattractedthroughsocialnetworks.
