Salvation effort on quake-damaged ethnic cultural relics

Local governments have launched efforts to salvage the cultural relics of the Qiang people and to find a way to keep them better preserved. (Photo: CCTV.com)

Counties most severely hurt during the Sichuan earthquake have been home for thousands of years to the Qiang people. Cultural relics in Wenchuan, Lixian, and Maoxian counties were severely damaged by the May 12th catastrophe. Now, local governments have launched efforts to salvage the cultural relics of the Qiang people and to find a way to keep them better preserved.

The Folk Culture Museum for the Qiang Minority in Beichuan County was completely leveled in the earthquake. Most of the antiquities were buried in ruins. But the human tragedy was far more devastating. About thirty thousand Qiang people died in the quake, including some senior folk artists.

According to the museum's curator, the Qiang minority has no written characters. The people rely on oral communication. So the loss of the folk artists means treasured lore and traditional techniques are irretrievably lost.

The Qiang Flute is the ethnic minority's most distinctive musical instrument. It is often used by the people to express longing for home and family. Several dozen musicians can actually play the instrument. Some of them died in the quake.

In the hope of keeping the tradition alive for future generations, local cultural departments are soliciting materials related to the Qiang flute from the public.

Local authorities have begun collecting and conserving quake damaged relics. To help with the preservation of intangible heritage, local authorities plan to register every living artist. The authorities plan to ensure that cultural treasures are preserved for the future.