Lijiang brings Naxi culture to life

The Naxi Cultural Experiment Center opened on Jan 16 in Lijiang, Yunnan province, as a means of preserving ethnic culture and experimenting with a new kind of cultural tourism.

The Naxi culture, which can be dated back to a thousand years ago, is known domestically and abroad for its unique dining etiquette, painting, singing and dancing. The Naxi Culture Experience Center in Lijiang Ancient Town was built to bring the ethnic group's unique and exquisite culture to a wider audience.

One of the highlights of the exhibition, a 100-meter long dynamic digital display painting, the first of its kind in China, shows hundreds of different figures performing a variety of cultural activities along the ancient Tea Horse Road (a road linking Southwest China to South Asia).

VR technology, along with a mechanical motion platform, create a multi-dimensional space which brings old Naxi folktales to life, allowing visitors to see, hear, and even feel with their own hands the mysterious ancient culture. While riding a large rail car, they are transported back to a time that only exists in books and memory.

The experiment center is not only a place to explore the Naxi culture, but also a tool for popularizing ethnic culture and passing down the spirit of past civilizations, said Yi Chenmu, operation director of the Naxi Cultural Experiment Center.

Yi also said they will post articles about the history of Naxi and Dongba culture on the official WeChat account as well as invite inheritors and practitioners of the culture from both Yunnan province and Lijiang city in an effort to make the center an educational base for students all over the country.

Some original Naxi artwork will be on display in the run-up to the Chinese New Year, and experimental museums plan to give an exhibition showcasing the culture and traditions of the Bai and Zang ethnic groups.

The Naxi Cultural Experiment Center is inaugurated on Jan 16 in Lijiang, Yunnan province. [Photo by He Zhanhui/xinhuanet.com.cn]

A 100-meter long dynamic digital display painting showcases the customs of Naxi people at the Naxi Cultural Experiment Center. [Photo by He Zhanhui/xinhuanet.com.cn]

A scroll of the Naxi epic, Genesis. [Photo by He Zhanhui/xinhuanet.com.cn]