Echoes of Yimakan: stories of living heritage

遗音映漾:活态遗产的故事

Round Table China

2025-12-17

25 分钟
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单集简介 ...

The global erosion of oral traditions continues not for lack of value, but because modern life leaves little room for slow, spoken memory. As languages vanish and elders pass on, entire ways of understanding the world disappear with them. Yet, the revival of Yimakan, from near-extinction to international recognition, demonstrates a powerful alternative. It shows that cultural heritage can survive not by being frozen in the past, but by finding a vital place in the present. / The joy and benefit of being bad at something (17:27). On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Fei Fei
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单集文稿 ...

  • Discussion keeps the world turning.

  • This is Round Table.

  • countless oral traditions are disappearing.

  • Not because they lack value, but because modern life leaves little room for slow spoken memory.

  • Languages vanish, elders pass on, and with them, entire ways of understanding the world.

  • Against this global backdrop, Ima Khan's revival stands out.

  • Its journey from near extinction to international recognition offers a rare glimpse into how cultural heritage can survive,

  • not by freezing the past.

  • And what's the last time you tried something new and immediately thought, I'm terrible at this?

  • Most of us stop right there, I know I do.

  • We retreat, we decide it's not for us.

  • But what if that moment?

  • awkward, humbling, slightly painful isn't a warning sign but an invitation.

  • This show is about what happens when we don't turn away from that feeling.

  • But before that...

  • These days, Imakan, the oral heritage of Hezhen people in northeast China, is making headlines,

  • because this intangible cultural heritage is moved from UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding to its representative list,

  • a huge milestone that highlights China's success in keeping this tradition alive.

  • But how exactly has China revived Imakan, and how is it thriving communities these days?

  • question.