◎策划：彭向梅

主题概述：丰富多彩的活动记录了饱含民族气息的文化传统、习俗，展现了中华民族大家庭的美好与幸福。

Sugar Painting 糖画

◎福建省宁德市民族中学 李沅璟指导教师：陈少花

Nothing is more attractive to me than the sugar painting. Watching the process of making a sugar painting is a true feast for my eyes.

The makers, with their great skills, create the most delicate（精致的） sugar paintings with the simplest tools, including a small pot, a spoon, a table and some malt sugar（麦芽糖）. The sweet smell flew into our noses slowly as the sugar was melted in the pot. After knowing what to paint, the craftsman scooped（ 挖）a spoonful of sugar and put the spoon above the Marble-topped table.He slightly leaned（倾斜）the spoon to a tiny degree, then quickly moved his hands before malt sugar got hard. The golden liquid was scattered accordingly,thick or thin. It was shortly after the maker moved his hands up or down, fast or slowly that a wonderful painting appeared in front of us. Amazinɡ!

Can you imagine such a lively painting being finished in such a short time? Before malt sugar was entirely cold, a thin stick was pressed on the sugar, making it easy to hold. A sugar painting in hand, everyone lost themselves in the joyful atmosphere.

Snatch Monkey’s Eggs抢猴蛋

◎福建省宁德市民族中学 雷洪应指导教师：王 莉

This year I took part in a traditional game of She people—“Snatch Monkey’s eggs”. In the site of the game, there is a circle of about fifty centimeters in diameter on the ground. In the center lie several stones which stand for eggs—the monkey’s favorite food. The student in the circle should stay within the circle and protect the eggs from stealing by the snatchers（抢走者）. If the eggs are all snatched, he will lose the game.

This is a kind of sport which needs speed and attention. The guardian stood in the middle of the circle with his hands on the ground, which enabled him to protect the eggs with both his hands and feet. I, as a snatcher, was wandering at the outer side of the circle and looking for the chance to get the eggs. Suddenly a brave snatcher reached out for the stones. The “monkey”kicked his right leg towards the invader. To avoid being kicked, the snatcher had to give up. We made several attempts but only got one egg. The “monkey”was still energetic and alert. With the judge whistling the end of the game, the“monkey” breathed a sign of relief. He stood up and wore a proud smile.

Zhu Lingqiu 竹铃球

◎重庆市彭水县民族中学 张馨月指导教师：杨小静

Look! What are they doing? When I was walking with my friends on the playground last week, a special P.E. class attracted my eyes. In the class,there was a ball which was made of bamboo and there was a bell in it. There was also a BeiDou（背篼） that was used to carry things in our daily life on the back. How interesting! One student told us that they were playing Zhu Lingqiu.

Do you know Zhu lingqiu? There is an interesting story about its origin.People of Tujia（土家族）lived in the mountains, most of whom make a living by planting crops. When the harvest was coming, people were busy harvesting in the fields. They had to carry their babies with BeiDou that was also made of bamboo. People were working in the fields while their babies were playing on the clear areas. In order to focus on working, parents made a special toy for their babies. The toy was a ball that was made of bamboo. And there was a bell in it. Little babies could play with it and they can throw the ball into BeiDou. This toy was the embryonic form（雏形） of Zhu Lingqiu.

With the development of Zhu Lingqiu, it has become a sport in our daily life. In order to remember traditional sport of Tujia, Zhu Lingqiu has gone into our P.E. class. It can build students up. Meanwhile, culture has been passed down from generation to generation.

Zhu Lingqiu is a symbol of Tujia culture. It’s our duty to protect and develop it.

Guanpu Oil Fan 官埔油扇

◎福建省宁德市民族中学 赵润心指导教师：陈少花

This year I tried making Guanpu oil fan, a unique folk art in Fu’an, Fujian. With the necessary materials, I began my work under the guidance of a master craftsman. First, I put a thin strip（条）through a small hole drilled on each side of the bamboo joints （竹节）above the handle of the fan, which is regarded as the “shoulder of the fan”. Then I connected the ends and middle parts of the bamboo strips together with thin threads, which were fixed at both ends of the shoulder to form a circular “nest”, a frame（框架） of an oil fan.Afterwards, I used cotton paper to mount the fans. Meanwhile I flattened（修平）the surface and bottom of the fan with a dry brush. After drying the fan, it was necessary to trim（修剪）the appearance with sharp scissors to form the prototype of a fan.

It was time to display my talent for art. Some minutes later, my favorite cartoon characters came to life on the fans. After oiled and dried, my Guanpu oil fan truly came into shape, smile shining on my face. I felt happy that I learned a new skill.

A Bite of She 畲家美食

◎福建省宁德市民族中学 雷铮荣指导教师：蔡 莹

I first tried making Jianzonɡ—a pillow-shaped zonɡzi. Under the guidance of an experienced master, I put some bamboo leaves on my palm（手掌）,trying to fold them into a rectangle shape（矩形）. Then I used a spoon to fill it with the mixture of sticky rice（糯米）, red beans, peanuts and so on. The most challenging step was wrapping（包裹）. I turned to my master, with his help I eventually bundled it up（捆绑） firmly.

Then the sight of making Ciba (a popular food in the region of She nationality) drew my attention. With a long wooden hammer, a strong guy was repeatedly pounding steamed glutinous rice（重击蒸糯米） to make it chewy.Then, he sprinkled （洒）it with brown sugar and sesame（芝麻）. With its sweet taste and chewy texture, it really made my mouth water. How enjoyable it was!

And I was told that traditionally Ciba is served on the important days of the She family to share their joy and delight. Besides, regular consumption of Ciba is believed to be beneficial to our stomach.

These traditional ethnic foods embody the history and customs of She nationality. In this way, She culture is passed down from generation to generation.

Wuren rice 乌米饭

◎福建省宁德市民族中学 钟子熠指导教师：蔡 莹

The grand celebration of this year’s March Third Festival started today.In addition to the performances, what impressed me most was the various traditional ethnic foods on display, among which the Wuren rice is my favorite.

What drew my eyes first is its shiny inked outside. How can the normally snow-white rice be transformed into obsidian-colored one? From talking, I learned it was the ancestors of She Minority who came up with such a creative and also green idea—they picked the freshest leaves of a local tree and soaked them in water to make a natural dye, thus coloring the rice black and making it with impressive health benefits.

Further communication made me realize that the rice, as one of the three traditional treasures of She, contains this people’s countless memories. When the annual traditional feast approaches, it is always a necessity in every She family. While the youth sing and dance with joy, every single grain of rice bears witness to the priceless moment.

Time flies. The event came to an end. But I am sure hard-working She people will always keep up those old traditions and push them towards the future.

Sacrifice Ceremony 蚩尤祭祀典礼

◎重庆市彭水县走马乡走马中学 李春蓉指导教师：王 莉

At about 9 a.m., drums burst and flaɡs flew. I participated in this sacrifice in Chiyou Jiuli City（蚩尤九黎城）.

The respected Miao elders（苗族长老） sang sacrifice songs to Chiyou.He reported to Chiyou the country is prosperous and the people live in peace.The young people of Miao nationality offered three animals to Chiyou and worshipped with incense. Pengshui Folk Chiyou Sacrifice Ceremony officially began in the square outside the Chiyou hall. The flaɡ bearers（旗手） took neat steps, side by side, row by row, united as one, and bravely moved forward. Thousands of people dressed in traditional Miao costumes lined up in front of Chiyou hall to worship. At the ceremony, the links of “ceremony opening, ceremony speeches, respectfully opening the holy door, presenting flower baskets, offerinɡ high incense, praying for blessings at the grand event（盛事祈福）, respectfully reading the text of praising the ancestors（恭读颂祖文）,paying homage to the ancestors and reuniting with HeGu（合鼓大团圆）”were displayed in turn.

The whole ceremony was solemn, orderly and unique, which expressed Miao people’s memory of their ancestors.

Jiao Ayi 《娇阿依》

◎重庆市彭水县走马乡走马中学 李春蓉指导教师：王 莉

On a fine morning, our class visited Chiyou Jiuli City.

At 10:30 in the morning, in the Miao cultural square, thousands of Miao people danced on Huashan and sangJiao Ayi, thus opened the 10th China Wujiang Cai Huashan Festival. The scene was a sea of happy songs and dances. The elder told us “Jiao Ayi” in Miao language means “beautiful and kind girls”. It is a loud and clear song for Miao people to express love and sing a better life after work, which has been sung in Pengshui County, southeast Chongqing, for thousands of years. Originated from the profound historical and cultural genes of Pengshui,Jiao Ayiis different from Miao folk songs in other places. And it has become one of the signature songs of Pengshui Miao folk songs now. Furthermore, it was twice shortlisted in the Original Ecological Final of CCTV Youth Song Competition, and participated in Domestic Ethnic Minority Art Performances（国内少数民族艺术表演） many times.

This song, which originated from ancient times, has witnessed the long and splendid folk culture of this land, as well as the passion and romance of the children of Miao township. And what makes me most proud is that it has been included in the expanded list of national intangible cultural heritage protection projects.