Bronze drum zone in Hechi promotes inheritance

As the core area of the National Bronze Drum Cultural (Hechi) Protection Experimental Zone, Donglan county has made great efforts to promote and inherit bronze drum customs.

Bronze drums are precious parts of Hechi's cultural heritage, as they were made by ethnic minority groups such as the Zhuang and Yao in South China. They have a history of more than 2,000 years, and symbolize the worship of the sun and the thirst for rain. Playing bronze drums has become increasingly popular during the Maguai Festival, the Sanyuesan Festival, and after the autumn harvest.

At present, the number of existing bronze drums that have been handed down from ancient times totals about 2,400, of which 612 are in Donglan, the largest collection in the world. 

In recent years, the county has strengthened the inheritance and protection of bronze drum skills through plans and measures, the development of the cultural tourism industry, venue construction, and campus learning.

Hechi has implemented an overall plan for the protection of the experimental zone. The implementation of the Regulations on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hechi City and the Regulations on the Protection of Bronze Drums among the Citizens of Hechi has provided legal guarantees for the protection of the bronze drum culture.

Through the integrated development of the "intangible cultural heritage (ICH) + tourism" model, a number of key projects have been launched that focus on cultivating new forms of cultural tourism. During the 2023 Maguai Festival, which is a traditional Zhuang ethnic group's festival to pray for a good harvest, thousands of tourists from home and abroad got to experience the charm of bronze drums.

A group photo shows international visitors playing bronze drums in Bandeng village of Changle town in Donglan county on Feb 20. [Photo/guangxi.chinadaily.com.cn/hechi]

The Donglan Folk Bronze Drum Collection Hall was organized by Chen Yaoling, a bronze drum collector in Donglan, and it opened in 2011. The museum showcases more than 150 bronze drums according to their different uses. It also records the ancient bronze drum culture along the Hongshui River, as well as Chen's collection process.

Two international students watch exhibitions at the Donglan Folk Bronze Drum Collection Hall on Feb 19. [Photo/guangxi.chinadaily.com.cn/hechi]

To date, the county has built seven national-level and autonomous-region-level ICH project inheritance bases, four study centers, three study demonstration households, nine campus inheritance bases, and five exhibition venues to provide a solid foundation for the protection and inheritance of bronze drum culture.

Many schools in the county have built bronze drum exhibition halls and established ICH interest groups to boost the promotion, innovation and development of bronze drum culture.

Students from the Donglan County Middle School of Nationalities play bronze drums. [Photo/guangxi.chinadaily.com.cn/hechi]

Bronze drum customs were on the list for the first batch of national ICH in 2006. Recently, it was selected as a typical case for culture and tourism integration by the National Rural Revitalization Administration.