Traditional crafts shape future

Young inheritors

Liu Junchao is one of the youngest artisans in the village.

"Basically children going to the village's primary schools have been exposed to local culture by the faculty members," the 33-year-old says.

Liu started to learn about lacquering craft at a workshop in the village after graduation from a vocational school in 2005.

He is now preparing to build a public cultural and creative education center to provide free training for young people who are interested in learning handicrafts, and will also use short-video platforms to release free teaching videos.

To date, the village has been home to 72 enterprises that mainly engage in the production of lacquer furniture in the classic style, with traditional crafts, of which 23 are intangible cultural heritages at the provincial, city and district levels.

The output value reached more than 300 million yuan in 2020, according to village authorities.

The village has stepped up support for local artisans, whose products were sent to various events to get more publicity exposure and compete for awards. Vocational training for villagers has been carried out, so more people can become inheritors and practitioners of local craftsmanship.

An unexpected windfall has come in recent years as more travelers started to visit Nanhan village to savor the permeating ancient palatial culture. It has boosted local tourism and resulted in more income to the villagers.

"Nanhan village will actively build a tourism industry led by antique furniture, palace products and fruit-picking," says Wan Wei, an official in Nanhan village.

The village will integrate local manufacturing with culture and tourism to spice up traveler experience.

"The idea is to carve out a new road of beautiful countryside that is ideal for living, working and traveling," Wan says.