Traditional ethnic heritage gets new lease on life

Located on the main street of China's only Russian ethnic township, Enhe, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Wang Xiufen's cafe, a traditional Russian-style house, exudes a warm, woody aroma.

Step inside, and the eye is drawn to vibrant textiles: handwoven tapestries, colorful crocheted wall hangings, and intricate woolen ornaments, all crafted by Wang. For Wang, an inheritor of Russian ethnic textile craftsmanship, this cafe is more than a business, it's a window for showcasing her ethnic traditions.

"Weaving was once passed down through generations in my family, but young people weren't interested," Wang says. "Now, they come for coffee, snap photos of the decorations, which are perfect for sharing on social media, and suddenly, they want to know more and even learn about them."

Across the diverse ethnic communities in Inner Mongolia, many traditional craft inheritors are wrapping their cherished culture in new contexts to make heritage feel not like a relic but a living part of the present.

Fu Yanmei, also in Enhe, has spent over 20 years making lieba, a Chinese transliteration of the Russian word for bread. Her bakery, once a quiet local staple, now buzzes with activity. Years ago, she launched a DIY lieba program, inviting visitors to shape the dough themselves.

But Fu doesn't just let them bake — she tells them about lieba's history and how it's made with natural sourdough and no additives. Young tourists, she notes, make up most of the participants. "Tasting their own baked lieba is a joy they remember."

In Oroqen autonomous banner near the Greater Khingan Mountains, the Oroqen people, one of China's smallest ethnic groups, are also breathing new life into their heritage.

In the old days, they crafted canoes, cradles, baskets, and other tools and vessels from birchbark, prized for its waterproof and durable qualities. Today, at the Oroqen intangible cultural heritage museum, Meng Shuling, a master of birchbark craftsmanship, showcases these traditional items with her modern reinventions.

Her workshop showcases delicate birchbark earrings, glossy fridge magnets and tiny cradle-shaped pendants, all pieces that marry the material's natural texture with contemporary tastes.

"The old ways can't stay locked in the past," Meng says, running a finger over a birchbark jewelry box.

Beyond these grassroots efforts, institutional support is also fueling the revival of traditional crafts. Since 2023, Inner Mongolia's institute of culture and tourism development, in collaboration with several universities, has launched a program to revitalize intangible cultural heritage by harnessing the creativity of the younger generation.

This initiative encourages students to draw inspiration from intangible heritage elements to create digital illustrations, IP characters and fashion designs. To date, it has yielded more than 300 pieces of intangible heritage-themed cultural and creative design drafts and handicrafts.

"Young people want things they can wear, display, and cherish daily. That's how we keep the skill alive," Meng says.