Recently, Qingtian held the Qingtian Fish Lantern Out to Sea Project – a practical training activity for the new generation of overseas Chinese fish lantern dance. More than 30 new generation overseas Chinese from countries such as Spain and Greece gathered together to explore and inherit the Qingtian fish lantern dance, a national intangible cultural heritage.
Qingtian fish lanterns are known as the “No. 1 fish in the world”. In recent years, Qingtian fish lanterns have frequently “gone out of the circle”. At the same time, through the medium of Qingtian overseas Chinese, fish lanterns have also “swum” abroad and performed on stage in cities such as Rome, Paris, and Brussels.
In the training class, the trainees held up the fish lanterns and gradually mastered dance moves such as “carp relay” and “carp jumping over the dragon gate” under the hands-on guidance of the inheritor Shi Guanbin. The simple and delicate dance postures are intertwined with the sonorous percussion music, fully demonstrating the unique charm of Qingtian fish lantern dance.
“I didn’t expect that fish lantern dance is so difficult to learn.” Zhu Chenyu, a new generation of overseas Chinese from Spain, said that although the process was a bit tiring, seeing the results of his and his companions’ joint efforts, he felt that all the efforts were worth it.
Wang Xuezhi, a 19-year-old new generation of overseas Chinese, said that he hopes to bring the skills he has learned to Spain so that more people can feel the charm of fish lantern dance.
In order to gradually promote the traditional intangible cultural heritage of Qingtian fish lantern dance overseas, Qingtian has launched the “Qingtian Fish Lantern Overseas Project” since 2023. At present, a total of 12 sets of fish lanterns have been shipped to countries and regions such as Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany, and have appeared at local celebrations, allowing more overseas Chinese and international friends to feel the charm of Qingtian fish lantern dance.
“We bring children to learn fish lantern dance, not only to let them understand and remember this precious cultural heritage, but also to hope that they can become the disseminators and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage and continue to carry on the cultural roots.” Jin Hao, president of the Spanish Overseas Chinese Business Association, said that with the addition of more young forces, they plan to bring fish lantern performances to the stage of Spanish celebrations during Chinese traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival every year, so that more people can appreciate the unique charm of traditional Chinese intangible cultural heritage.