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Feng Jicai: Safeguarding Folk Culture
 Feng
Jicai, born in Tianjin in 1942, is a highly accomplished writer,
known for his depictions of intellectuals' lives and the historical stories of
Tianjin, where he has been living for more than 40 years. His novels have been
translated into dozens of languages, including English, French, German, Italian,
Japanese, Russian, Dutch and Spanish. More than 30 translated versions of his
novels have been published outside China.
In recent years, while serving as executive chairman of
the China
Federation of Literary and Art Circles
, and chairman of the Tianjin Writers Association,
Feng has dedicated most of his time and energy to the preservation of China's
ethnic and folk culture, trying to save the country's vanishing cultural
memories.
Feng began his mission to save folk culture legacies in
the 1990s, when he was at the prime of his literary career. His work now mainly
focuses on the recognition of the outstanding heirs of folk culture through
investigations, the protection of ethnic culture, and the study and protection
of ancient villages. He has already begun compiling books on China's New Year's
woodprints, folk paper cutouts, thangka
Buddhist
painting
scrolls, records of Chinese folk
customs, and complete Chinese folktales.
Feng's interest in folk art and customs can be dated
back to the 1960s, when he worked at the Tianjin Calligraphy
and Painting Institution after graduating
from high school in 1960. Over the years, he has combined his love for
literature with his admiration of Chinese folk culture.
Old street in Tianjin
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