At the award ceremony of the 13th Shanhua prize for Chinese Folk Literature and Art held in Guangzhou on Jan. 13, folk artist Feng Jicai, professor of Tianjin University and folklorist Wu Bingan received the honorary title as “lifetime-achievement folk artists of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC)”. 

The award ceremony of the 13th Shanhua prize for Chinese Folk Literature and Art held in Guangzhou on Jan. 13. 

The theme of the award ceremony was “When Flowers Bloom”. Pan Lusheng, president of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association said in his speech, that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires cultural pioneers. These cultural pioneers should always pay close attention to cultural development and explore its laws. They should devote themselves to cultural protection and spare no effort to arouse people’s awareness of protecting folk literature and art. They need to be dedicated, wise and respectable. They are the backbone of Chinese culture.  

At the ceremony, Feng expressed his deep love of folk culture. He said, in order to protect folk culture, he had traveled to many places to do research. He has walked loess, black soil and fields, while now he walks the red carpet to accept the award, which demonstrates that folk culture is now considered as high culture and reflects the cultural self-consciousness and confidence of our nation. In the future, literary and art workers will still need to travel all over the country to discover those precious and splendid Chinese folk cultures. 

“I love culture so much, that I’m willing to spend my whole life in its protection,” Feng said with deep emotion. The prize for him is a new start, rather than the end. He will continue his efforts to protect folk culture.  

Over the past two decades, Feng has flung himself into protecting urban culture and saving folk culture. He has presided over the Project of Saving Chinese Folk Culture and Legacy and advocated the protection of traditional Chinese villages, which has produced a profound impact on contemporary Chinese society.  

Feng Jicai, folk artist and professor of Tianjin University 

The Shanhua prize for Chinese Folk Literature and Art is a state-level prize co-sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association. The biennial prize is the highest-level award for Chinese Folk Literature and Art.   

By: Zhao Han

Editors: Qin Mian and Keith Harrington