Classic Chinese tales thrive in modern times

Sometimes, such links of tradition and fashion on TV can create strong momentum, often beyond expectations, thanks to social media.

Last month, as numerous TV stations around the country made their own galas for the Spring Festival season, A Tang Dynasty Banquet, a five-minute-long dance on Henan TV featuring cultural relics, was perhaps the shiniest piece among the repertoires.

Fourteen dancers from Zhengzhou Song and Dance Theater dressed in Tang Dynasty (618-907) costumes, inspired by the glazed pottery figurines in Henan Museum, performed the dances. Augmented reality technology was used to mix other key collections from the museum into the performance, like an 8,000-year-old bone flute and a bronze wine vessel in the shape of owl dating back for over 3,000 years. The dance attracted over 2 billion views online, while relevant posts received 500 million clicks on social networking service Sina Weibo.

"New technology can bring more immersive experiences for those who worship cultural relics," said Ma Xiaolin, director of the Henan Museum. "It makes dialogue possible between the past and present, and makes history tangible for the younger generation."

Ma, who is also a member of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, said the museum received 8,000 visits daily during the Spring Festival holiday after the gala was broadcast, the maximum number allowed due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

On Feb 26, the Lantern Festival, the troupe staged a sparkling comeback, using the same approach to present a 30-minute online show, with the Henan Museum and other key cultural heritage sites in the province as backdrops.

"Thanks to cooperation between cultural heritage organizations and various media platforms, we have been able to offer a series of cultural products to the general public," said Ma. "But such a fad is not beneficial for ever. We have to embrace new platforms and not wait for more people to come to our venues."

Nevertheless, Ma feels that it is important to avoid excessive entertainment, as the focus shifts to increasing online flows through eye-catching gimmicks, rather than the revitalization of traditional culture.

"Social media makes information fragmented, but it's not that negative," Lyu added. "Culture thus has more chances to fill gaps in people's lives. It's time to use these fragmented information as teasers and attract more people to explore traditional culture at a deeper level."