Chinese intangible cultural heritage promoter stuns netizens with incredible versatility

Liu Yaqing, a Chinese social media influencer known by her online aliases "Jiu Yue" and "Jiang Xunqian", imitates a goddess in a video showcasing intangible cultural heritage in China. (Photo/CCTV News)

Liu Yaqing, a Chinese social media influencer known by her online aliases "Jiu Yue" and "Jiang Xunqian", has attracted massive attention and praise for introducing China's intangible cultural heritage to modern audiences through hands-on experiences.

With a passion for traditional crafts and an unyielding drive, Liu learns and masters various traditional crafts that have been inscribed on China's list of intangible cultural heritages, and then creates short videos to showcase relevant ancient techniques to her online followers.

In her videos posted on Chinese social media platforms, Liu performs a variety of traditional art forms, including Datiehua (molten iron fireworks), Huohu (fire pot), Yingge dance, shadow puppetry, and Peking Opera. She also crafts Miao ethnic silver ornaments, horse-faced skirts, go pieces, giant dragon head-shaped kites, and other intricate handicrafts involving techniques recognized as intangible cultural heritage in China.

While amazed by the charm of traditional techniques and culture across China, viewers are deeply impressed by the perseverance and versatility of Liu.

They are particularly impressed by her ability to complete complex, physically demanding, and even dangerous tasks. For instance, in one video, she performs a mesmerizing Huohu dance with two flaming pots; in another, she "flies" down a steep mountain while dressed as a goddess.

Netizens are so astounded by her feats that they comment, "Even characters in books couldn't be this versatile."

However, behind the polished videos lies a story of persistence and hard work. While Liu's followers see her as "omnipotent", the members of Liu's team and the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage she has learned from describe her as "a person who works harder than anyone".

"I'm actually a person with a strong desire to share, and when I see something marvelous and beautiful, I want to share it with others," Liu said. "Beauty can be shared."

Born in Hengyang, central China's Hunan Province, Liu developed an early interest in traditional arts, inspired by childhood experiences watching her grandfather listen to Peking Opera.

With an educational background in the fine arts, Liu initially pursued a career as a video game character designer in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. After spending six years in that position, she shifted to the role of We Media content creator, and started to create short videos showcasing crafts that she found gradually disappearing from modern life.

"At the beginning, I didn’t really care whether it was intangible cultural heritage or not. I just noticed that things I used to see all the time as a child seemed to have disappeared as I grew up," she recalled.

What began as a personal interest turned into a "bloodline awakening." Liu felt a strong sense of responsibility to preserve and share these traditional crafts.

"The intangible cultural heritage masters scattered across the country are waiting for someone to discover them," Liu said. "They're waiting for someone to bring their craft to the world."

In her interactions with these masters, Liu was deeply moved by their dedication and lifelong pursuit of greater craftsmanship in one specific craft, and grew more determined to demonstrate precious traditional crafts to a wider world.

Liu strongly disagrees with the viewpoint that sees intangible cultural heritage as a "cultural sanctuary" and something to be cherished, not commercialized for profit.

"If an inheritor can't even make a decent living from their craft, how can we expect more people to join this field?" she said.

"The people at the forefront of intangible cultural heritage should be able to make money from it. The more successful they are, the more others will see that it's possible to profit from intangible cultural heritage," Liu noted. "If the inheritors are successful with their handicrafts, more people will be encouraged to join in. That's a positive cycle!"

Liu Yaqing, a Chinese social media influencer known by her online aliases "Jiu Yue" and "Jiang Xunqian", makes a traditional silver headwear of the Miao ethnic group in a video showcasing the intangible cultural heritage of the Miao silver jewelry-making technique. (Photo/CCTV News)

She hopes that her team will continue to create more hit videos. "If a certain craft becomes well-known through my work, and many people start practicing it, and some even improve their lives because of it, then that's the true definition of a viral video," she said.

Despite the challenges she faces daily during her creative process, Liu remains motivated by the constant surprises that emerge as she explores the cultural treasures scattered across the country.

According to Liu, she was stunned by the view from the summit after spending hours climbing a lofty mountain with filming equipment, and deeply impressed by the roads in mountainous areas every time she went to some remote areas for research.

"I'm saying it! Our country is so amazing—it built roads all the way to such remote places," Liu exclaimed.

As a promoter of traditional cultural heritage, Liu feels a sense of urgency. She worries that there won't be enough time to capture all the stories she wants to share, especially as many old intangible cultural heritage masters may not be around much longer.

Liu Yaqing, a Chinese social media influencer known by her online aliases "Jiu Yue" and "Jiang Xunqian", plays the guitar. (Photo/CCTV News)

"I always feel like there's not enough time, and that my efforts alone aren't enough," she said, recalling that when she was learning how to make a type of traditional lantern, the filming of the learning process had to be paused because the nearly 80-year-old master Zhang Shuqi had to undergo surgery.

The more she sees the masters' dedication despite their age, the more she feels compelled to bring their stories to the public.

Seeing that some elderly, provincial- and national-level inheritors of intangible cultural heritage still make a living by "weaving one basket at a time," Liu hopes that her videos can help raise awareness and attract a large following for these lesser-known traditional crafts.

Her ultimate goal is to "ignite" certain intangible cultural heritage skills the way a product goes viral in e-commerce, improving the lives of the artisans who work in these fields.

Liu jokes that she's someone who "often fails," but she doesn't want to share her struggles with netizens. "I don't want my difficulties to discourage you. I want to inspire you, to make you want to do it too," she said.

She aims not only to gain attention to intangible cultural heritage, but also to help inherit and pass down the cultural treasures to the next generation.

"Inheritance means that 5,000 years from now, Chinese culture will still shine brightly," she said. "Inheritance is not a one-person job; it's the work of a whole group of people," she noted.

Liu Yaqing, a Chinese social media influencer known by her online aliases "Jiu Yue" and "Jiang Xunqian", prepares for a Peking Opera performance in a video showcasing the traditional art form. (Photo/CCTV News)