Clear water passes through the city, and people all lean against the river. In Wuxi, Jiangsu, the ancient canal runs through the city, and at the foot of the beautiful Huishan Mountains, intangible cultural heritage such as Huishan clay figurines, Wuxi exquisite embroidery, and Wuxi Liuqing bamboo carvings shine brightly, attracting more and more attention. Numerous inheritors of intangible cultural heritage uphold the roots of culture, organically combining protection, inheritance, and development, making intangible cultural heritage more dazzling. Recently, our reporter visited Liangxi District in Wuxi City to explore the inheritance and innovation of intangible cultural heritage here. Fingertips each have their own unique skills, showcasing Jiangnan's gentle twisting of a ball of black mud in her hand, rolling it into a circle, using her thumb to outline her eyes, and picking out her earlobes from her ears... In no time, a lifelike outline of a clay figurine in a play was born in Zhang Xiaoying's hand. Zhang Xiaoying is a senior craft artist at Wuxi Huishan Clay Figure Factory and also the municipal inheritor of the Huishan Clay Figure project. For over 20 years, she has carefully crafted clay figurines by guarding a table, and each piece of mud has been molded into countless postures in her hands. In Wuxi, there are still many inheritors of Huishan clay figurines like Zhang Xiaoying. The pieces of Huishan black clay, soaked in ancient river water, have gained color and soul through the skillful hands of clay sculptors. Huishan clay figurine is a colorful clay sculpture art produced in Huishan, Wuxi, with a history of over 400 years. In May 2006, the clay sculpture (Huishan clay figurine) was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Huishan clay figurines are made from black mud that is about 1 meter below the ground at the foot of the northeast slope of Huishan. The mud is delicate and soft, with no wrinkles when rubbed, continuous bending, and good plasticity, suitable for 'shaping'. The representative work of Huishan clay figurines, 'Da Afu', is the image of a strong child with a lucky face that is lovable. For a long time, Huishan clay figurines have been deeply loved for their unique artistic forms, distinct folk colors, and rich Jiangnan atmosphere, becoming a beautiful cultural calling card of this city Xu Gensheng, director of the Wuxi Huishan Clay Figure Professional Committee, said. Xu Gensheng is the municipal inheritor of Huishan clay figurines. At the age of 14, he entered Huishan clay figurine factory and studied under the famous "fisherman Li" Li Renrong. He has made great achievements in the fields of hand sculpting clay figurines, on-site sculpture, and sculpture. Wuxi is located in the water town of Jiangnan and has a profound accumulation of intangible cultural heritage. When people come to Wuxi, they can not only appreciate the lifelike Huishan clay figurines, but also see more types of intangible cultural heritage treasures. Flowers follow jade fingers to add spring colors, birds chase after golden needles to grow feathers This ancient poem describes the scene of being a female celebrity. Su embroidery (Wuxi Jingwei embroidery) was included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. As the representative inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage project at the national level, Zhao Hongyu has been studying embroidery for more than 50 years, especially skilled in double-sided Jingwei embroidery. At his fingertips, he fully displays the tenderness of Jiangnan. Jingwei Embroidery, as the name suggests, is a delicate and small double-sided embroidery. Works often depict rich and colorful text and patterns in small images, and are meticulously embroidered by embroidery artists using double-sided embroidery techniques. In order to achieve delicate embroidery, we divide a silk thread into one seventieth, or even one hundredth, and shrink a needle into one tenth, making the fabric dense to over 200 mesh Zhao Hongyu said, "Whether it's fine words like flies or tiny people, beans, and horses, embroidery is full of both form and spirit, with endless interest. Therefore, Wuxi Jingwei Embroidery is also known as the 'ballet on the fingertips'." Wuxi's Liuqing bamboo carving art is also elegant, ancient, and unique. Liuqing bamboo carving is a type of bamboo carving, named "Liuqing bamboo carving" because it retains a layer of bamboo green carving patterns on the surface of bamboo. Every winter, as a representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage - bamboo carving (Wuxi Liuqing bamboo carving), Qiao Jinhong travels to a hilly valley in Changle Town, Shengzhou City, Zhejiang Province to collect bamboo because the bamboo grown here is most suitable for Liuqing bamboo carving. Every time he goes to Changle Town, Qiao Jinhong selects high-quality bamboo, cuts it down, and transports it back to the Shuangqixuan Studio in Wuxi. This is the bamboo carving material for him and his daughter Qiao Yu. Inheriting bamboo carving is because I have become accustomed to having bamboo carving in my daily life. It's like eating and sleeping Qiao Yu said that her bamboo carving works inherit tradition, with unique compositions and delicate images. Every day, holding a small carving knife and carving the beautiful scenery of nature has become an indispensable part of Qiao Yu's life. Fashion elements are overlaid, transforming intangible cultural heritage into trendy toys. Walking into the sales exhibition hall of Huishan Clay Carving Factory, the reporter saw that in addition to the smiling "Afu" and "Axi" clay figurines, various "hand crafted drama" clay figurines, there were also various innovative works on display. Among them, an aluminum alloy medal painted with the ancient town of Huishan is quite distinctive. It was specially customized for the Beautiful Life Mountaineering Festival held in Wuxi. The medal is embedded with a small and exquisite Huishan clay figurine "Axi", combining traditional clay figurine products with modern metal products to make this medal more commemorative. The designer of the medal, Zhou Hanqing, a senior craft artist at Huishan Clay Figurines Factory, said, "Climbing high means praying for blessings. Embedding the classic image of Huishan clay figurines on the medal symbolizes praying for blessings and adding more joy." In recent years, with the rise of trendy figurines, the clay figurine market has been greatly impacted. Wang Jie, the deputy general manager of Huishan Clay Figurine Factory, said: "In the eyes of the older generation of Wuxi people, Huishan Clay Figurine is" Ah Fu "and" Ah Xi ", which are carved from the same mold. Day after day, how many people will buy them repeatedly? Today's young people like more diverse and more personalized works. We have made a batch of clay figurines, which incorporate the special elements of Wuxi, such as the appearance of small clay figurines eating soy sauce ribs, Xiaolongbao, and honey peaches, and they are sold out as soon as they go online." The craftsmen of Huishan Clay Figurine figurines firmly believe that innovation is the only way out, and need to make breakthroughs in material innovation, modeling innovation, and color use. In 2020, Huishan Clay Carving Factory began exploring new paths for the protection and innovation of intangible cultural heritage by combining festival activities, traditional customs, and more. Extending the functional attributes of the product is the first step. There are more and more cultural and creative products related to Huishan clay figurines, such as clay figurine notebooks, clay figurine coffee cups, etc., totaling forty to fifty types. Huishan clay figurine factory has also collaborated with some local brands to design clay figurine images for dairy factories, bakeries, and beverage shops, forming a "clay figurine+" model. Craftsmen have developed a series of beautiful and practical objects, such as suspended lamps, humidifiers, pen holders, etc. Zhou Lu, a senior craft artist at Huishan Clay Carving Factory, integrated clay figurine works into home decor and designed a suspended lamp work called "Chang'e Flying to the Moon". In front of a bright round moon printed with ink paintings, the "Chang'e" made of clay sculpture leans on the railing alone, presses the switch, and lights up the "round moon". A customized mid autumn desk lamp is displayed in front of you. Inspiration comes from daily life, as long as you find a connection point, traditional clay figurines can also be combined with modern life, "said Zhou Lu. Huishan Clay Carving Factory has also combined 3D printing technology with clay sculpture techniques to redesign the shapes of Ah Fu and Ah Xi, and named them NANI and MOMO. NANIMOMO is the Wuxi dialect pronunciation of Huishan clay figurines. The name is both appropriate and trendy, "said Wang Jie. The NANIMO series blind boxes and surrounding cultural and creative products, developed in combination with Wuxi specialties and scenic spots, have been popular both online and offline, with monthly sales reaching a peak of 10000 boxes. On Nan Chang Street in Wuxi, a Zhuo Ni Mo Mo coffee shop is located adjacent to the ancient canal, displaying rows of cultural and creative counters. Opening the menu, there is a list of "A Cup of Lucky American" and "Axi Latte"... Guests can order a cup of coffee named after a clay figurine here, learn about clay figurine culture, and also buy a favorite clay figurine. Intangible cultural heritage truly integrates into life here. From expanding functionality, unlocking new materials and processes, to entering daily life, the innovation of Huishan clay figurines' intangible cultural heritage is always on the way Wang Jie said that the next step will be to cooperate with large chain brands in the food, cultural and creative, and clothing industries, using a traditional yet modern appearance, rich and immersive experiences, to let more people understand clay figurines and inherit intangible cultural heritage. Becoming a city IP and unleashing market value "I will soon go to the Youth Palace to teach children how to make Huishan clay figurines. Some children have been learning from me for more than 6 years and can independently create clay sculptures in the shape of Sun Wukong." In the studio filled with clay figurine works, Xu Gensheng recounted to the reporter, "Now, I teach Huishan clay figurine courses in 5 places, and I have to go out for 8 classes every week. In addition to the Youth Palace, I also offer a clay figurine course at Jiangsu Information Vocational and Technical College, which is very popular among students," Xu Gensheng said. Last year, Wuxi Huishan clay figurines appeared as a national intangible cultural heritage at the first Jiangsu International Cultural Trade Exhibition held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention and Exhibition Center in Malaysia. Xu Gensheng also participated in the on-site display, presenting a unique intangible cultural heritage. In 2020, he was hired as a contracted artist by the Duoyunxuan Art Museum in Malaysia, teaching overseas Chinese and students from Malaysia to create clay sculptures with local characteristics. He said, "In not too long, the Hui Shan Clay Sculpture Studio in Malaysia will be unveiled. I will let more overseas audiences intuitively feel the superb skills of China's intangible cultural heritage and promote the development of intangible cultural heritage art." Now, Xu Gensheng is planning to work with other Hui Shan clay figurine practitioners to build a professional platform for recommending and cultivating Hui Shan clay figurine artists and works, and to spread and promote this traditional skill through more innovative and fashionable means. Like the Huishan clay figurines, more and more inheritors of intangible cultural heritage are creating forms such as "walking art classrooms" to immerse people in intangible cultural heritage culture. Zhao Hongyu established the "Zhao Hongyu Master Embroidery Studio" to engage in innovative creation, inheritance and dissemination of tin embroidery. She often goes to school to promote and spread fine embroidery, and has set up the "Red Edge Pavilion" embroidery workshop at the Liangxi District Intangible Cultural Heritage Base, conducting public lectures and experiential activities for citizens. Now, Qiao Yunran, the daughter of Qiao Yu and the fifth generation descendant of Shuangqixuan, has also shown great interest in the family tradition of Liuqing bamboo carving. Qiao Yunran hopes to become a bamboo carving inheritor with both high cultural quality and high technical level, and to exert the spirit of craftsmanship to promote the art of Liuqing bamboo carving. In addition to making bamboo carvings, Qiao Yu often goes out to give special lectures and participate in various intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, promoting Liuqing bamboo carvings, telling the historical development of Jiangnan bamboo carving art and the carving characteristics of famous works, so that more people can feel the charm of this intangible cultural heritage. The intangible cultural heritage is brilliant and diverse. Wuxi is continuously stimulating the vitality of intangible cultural heritage, striving to make it a city IP and further unleash its market value. In order to consolidate the foundation of intangible cultural heritage protection and inheritance, Wuxi continuously improves its policy system. In 2023, Wuxi City launched the "Hundred Craftsmen and Thousand Products" Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Innovation Project Three Year Action Plan (2023-2025) to enhance the systematic protection level of intangible cultural heritage. Wuxi has held a series of cultural and natural heritage themed events for many years, creating a consumer experience scene for intangible cultural heritage at the doorstep through events such as intangible cultural heritage collection cities, intangible cultural heritage lectures, intangible cultural heritage exhibitions and sales. In recent years, Wuxi has carried out a series of effective activities around the inheritance and innovation of intangible cultural heritage, aiming to deeply explore, protect, inherit and utilize the excellent traditional cultural resources of the Grand Canal, present the unique attraction of intangible cultural heritage, and integrate ancient culture into fireworks life Wuxi Liangxi District Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism