In Huli District,
there lies a hidden wonderland where stones seem to speak.
Let’s follow our international student Ashley
as she steps into the Huihe Stone Cultural Park,
unlocking the time-sealed mysteries
of intangible cultural heritage hidden in silent stone.
The “Foreigners But Not Outsiders in Huli” 2.0 series
kicks off with its very first episode!
When Ashley, an international student fascinated by intangible cultural heritage,
sees the stone statues standing silently before her eyes,
and the carved stone components preserving the elegance of the days gone by,
she seems to understand the whispers of the craftsmen
transcending time through every chisel mark, deep or shallow.
Walking into Huihe Café,
she is immediately drawn to stone-milled coffee.
Stone mills are quite common in southern Fujian,
but using them to grind coffee beans
is a novel experience for Ashley.
Passing by a grand red-brick mansion,
she can hear sounds of gongs and drums from inside.
Curious, Ashley wonders:
Could there be a “show” going on here?
The puppets on stage are incredibly lifelike,
leaving her totally engrossed in the performance.
After the performance ends,
she goes up to see how it’s done.
With the master’s step-by-step coaching,
she makes a little dancing lion “come alive” in her hands.
Inside the XR Experience Hall,
Ashley puts on the headset
and “travels” to the Qin Mausoleum in a second.
The majesty of the Qin army there is awe-inspiring,
with the neighing of warhorses lingering in her ears.
She says excitedly,
“This is the magic of digital tech meeting Chinese history!”
As dusk falls,
the Park puts on a veil of mystery,
and the night tour of the stone carving art museum officially begins.
The solemn stone carvings seen in the daytime
become like ancient, undeciphered codes,
taking on an extra touch of tranquility and mystery in the dark.
Guided by intangible heritage inheritor Dai Yi’an,
with a flashlight in hand,
she seems to witness more than 100 precious stone carvings
“awaken” in the play of light and shadow.
The national-level intangible heritage art of stone-shadow carving holds hidden clues.
She reflects,
“The process of solving the riddles
is like knocking on the door to southern Fujian’s history.”
The museum is free from the daytime hustle and bustle,
leaving only the quiet wait of the stone carvings.
Every stone statue and every chisel mark
has a hidden story,
waiting to be explored as night falls.
Taking a May Day break,
but the fun won’t hit the brakes!
Come to Huihe Stone Cultural Park,
where more interesting activities
are waiting for you to unlock~
In the next episode of “Foreigners But Not Outsiders in Huli”,
what new side of Huli will we discover?
Stay tuned!
