Round Table China Echoes of Yimakan: stories of living heritage
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Dec 17, 2025 The podcast dives into the revival of Yimakan, a unique cultural tradition of the Hezhen people, facing extinction. The hosts discuss the challenges of oral tradition preservation amidst modern life, highlighting innovative approaches like AI and digital archives. They explore the balance between authentic cultural transmission and commercialization, debating the impact of tourism. Embracing the joys of learning, they reflect on the importance of being comfortable with imperfection while adapting traditions to appeal to younger generations.
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Revival Through Relevance
- Yimakan survived by re-entering modern life rather than being frozen as a relic.
- Revival shows intangible heritage can thrive through active contemporary roles.
Hezhen Life Woven Into Song
- Fei Fei explains Yimakan is a singing-and-narrative oral art of the Hezhen people tied to fishing and hunting life.
- The Hezhen live on China's eastern edge and transmit history, rituals, and identity through these cantos.
A Master Performer Recorded
- The episode plays a clip by national-level inheritor Wu Baocheng performing Yimakan from the Heilong River region.
- The recording is part of CMG's China's Intangible Culture Heritage series.