Music video promotes intangible cultural heritage

A music video highlighting Huangchuan hollow gongmian (tribute noodle), a distinctive dish that dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), was recently released in Xinyang, Henan province. It was a joint effort by local artists and Liu Laiwang, a master of the noodle, whose craftsmanship was named a provincial intangible cultural heritage by the Henan government in 2021.

"We have been striving to use culture to promote industrial development and support rural vitalization," Liu says.

It took them more than a year to create the music video.

"We hope that, through the song and music video, more people can recognize the social value of Huangchuan hollow gongmian," Liu says.

To date, more than 2,000 locals are employed in the noodle business in Huangchuan, with annual output value reaching 600 million yuan ($86.6 million), according to local authorities.

Liu's intangible cultural heritage workshop has been selected as one of 66 exemplary cases supporting rural vitalization by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the National Rural Revitalization Administration.