Tracking China's culture

"Blending the methods used to make painted clay sculptures in Chinese temples, and modern techniques for sculpting the muscles and veins of the figures, I was able to make the sculptures more lifelike."

Liu Ying, a tourist from Heze, Shandong province, picked up a piece of dough and learned from Kang how to make a sculpture.

"There are several ways to shape a face," Kang told Liu. "Pressing firmly to highlight the cheekbones gives a more dignified look, while scoring the cheeks gives a more stern appearance."

Soon, Liu's dough sculpture began to take shape.

"It is my first time interacting up close with an intangible cultural heritage inheritor on a train," said Liu. "It is also a rare opportunity to learn the skill."

"When I return home, I will show my dough sculpting works to my friends," she said, holding onto the piece she had just made.

Besides Kang, Du Hui, a provincial-level inheritor of birch bark pyrography, was casually drawing a mountain range.

"To create a piece, the bark first needs to be compressed with a wooden board for over a year and combined before creating the pyrography," said Du, 46, a member of the Ewenki ethnic group. "The spots and scars on the bark can be turned into stones in the picture.

"The Ewenki houses, called cuoluozi, are made of birch bark, and the cradle I used as a child was also made of birch bark," he said.

"Now, I incorporate modern elements into my works, creating not only pyrography pictures, but also pen holders, fridge magnets, birch bark bags and tea barrels."

As the train rolled on, the Ewenki inheritor sang a folk song in the Ewenki language, while an Ewenki jaw harp inheritor accompanied him, prompting passengers to spontaneously join in singing together.

In the dining carriage, railway workers prepared local cuisine — frozen pears and frozen persimmons — for passengers, as well as delivering wonderful performances, such as yangko, a type of folk dance.

"This Spring Festival marks the first one after Chinese New Year was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," said the train conductor Shi Lei.

"With more tourists visiting Mohe, we prepared the themed train, allowing passengers to learn about Heilongjiang's intangible cultural heritage while enjoying their trip."

Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn