Stories about everlasting Dongguan cultures传承莞邑经典，弘扬传统文化

静观香云，袅袅而上，风雅尽显，沁心怡神。莞香香远而清，而成香甚遥，这份珍贵，装点了时光，也让如今的人们流连其中。

Savouring the Guan spice，appreciate Guan culture

莞香文化传承

广东 陈颖盟

指导老师 吴嘉丽

Originated in Dongguan， GuangdongProvince， the Guan spice has boasted widepopularity since its birth. Such a time⁃honored cultural heritage it is that it wasused to serve imperial aristocrats in theMing Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty andhas been continuously passed down from generation to generation.

The very first time I came across the Guan spice， I simply thought that it wasproduced spontaneously. However， much to my astonishment， it is rather produced by thetree so as to fight against the invasion of fungi （真菌）. In order to gain more valuable spices，local farmers usually artificially damage the tree. The whole process of gaining the spice，including planting， damaging and digging， is a highly professional and demanding job.Therefore， the price of the spice usually outweighs other luxury goods， such as gold.

Compared to other endangered cultural heritages， the Guan spice has a promisingprospect. Nowadays， more and more professors and doctors devote themselves to researchingthis magical spice in an attempt to apply it to medicine. There are still lots of mysteriouspuzzles that cant be explained by modern science. The fragrance of the Guan spice， forexample can help relax your body and reflect the problem in your body that you ought topay attention to. In accordance with a local sellers speaking，“Nobody yet has refused thiskind of smell.”

綠草青，绿水长，绿绿莞草咸水里长；莞草青，莞草黄，精美的草编美名扬；莞草美，莞草香，茫茫的草甸翻碧浪。

Saltwater grass weaving

莞草编织文化传承

广东 麦铭童

指导老师 唐旻

The saltwater grass， a typical repre⁃sentative of Guan culture， boasts widepopularity from Guangdong Province to eventhe whole country， which is also the origin ofDongguans name. Time⁃honored and ancient，the grass culture can be traced back to eventhe Han Dynasty， judging from Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tombs and The Daily Life of Song.

Luckily， I visited my uncle Peng who is an inheritor of saltwater grass weaving lastweekend. Born in Shatian village surrounded by the saltwater grass， he has dealt with salt⁃water grass weaving since his childhood. Before weaving the grass， we needed to cut thegrass and dry them in the sun. With great enthusiasm， I could hardly wait to jump into thefield and roll up my sleeves to cut the grass. Not for a while， my energy faded away andsoon came the fatigue of a long time being exposed to the sun， while my uncle kept cuttingthe grass with tireless efforts. He told me，“Cutting the perfect grass is half success toweaving.”High regard for my uncle welled up in my heart. Later， Uncle Peng showed mehow to weave the saltwater grass with some dry grass. There are a variety of forms of theweaving of the grass， such as pandas， cats and calves. A large number of local weaverslearned the weaving from their fathers， wishing it could be passed down from generation togeneration. Under the guidance of Uncle Peng， I successfully made a cup wad made ofsaltwater grass.

With the fast development of society， the machine⁃made material gradually takes theplace of saltwater grass. It seems that such an ancient form of art is disappearing at aworrying rapid speed. Consequently， we teenagers should bear the responsibility andinherit this invaluable culture. The development of saltwater grass weaving still has a longway to go， but by making joint efforts， the saltwater grass weaving is bound to revitalize.

这些泥人外形看上去华美绚丽，精致细腻，人物表情丰富、形象生动。走近茶山绸衣灯公，体味百年泥人文化。

Chashan silk clothing clay sculpture

茶山绸衣灯公

广东 李婧漩

指导老师 黄建玲

The Chashan silk clothing clay sculpture， is one of the intangible cultural heritages，featuring the distinguished characteristics of Dongguan. With more than 700 years of history， it has been flourishing since the Ming Dynasty. However， later in the 1970s， it wason the verge of extinction as the time changes. Nowadays， it is revitalizing （使恢复）gradually with the rapid development of China. Distinctively， there is an unusual patrioticstory behind its birth.

The sculpture originated in the late Song Dynasty， when the Song folks suffered muchand the whole country was in shreds （损害严重） due to the war against the Yuan. At thattime， four patriotic ministers took the two princes southwards in order to escape. During thefollowing fierce fight， three of the ministers sacrificed themselves heroically. In order toexpress his respect for their heroic deed， a local royal relative ingeniously created the claysculpture in memory of them.

Integrating traditional painting and calligraphy， the clay sculpture is an invaluablecultural treasure. The clay sculpture also has a variety of forms and themes. The typicalforms of the clay sculpture are usually from the classic story， the history event and thecivilian custom. With further effort into cultural protection， some pop songs started tocombine the clay sculpture and current hot topics， giving the clay sculpture an innovativedevelopment.

How to protect the traditional culture has always been the whole societys concern.During the development of the clay sculpture， some local activists stepped in and helpedthis time?honored treasure revive. We teenagers should learn from the rebirth of it andcarry it forward. It is high time that we bear the responsibility and take effective measures.