“Parting seems to last, but a reunion at last. How sweet its taste, my beloved...” Recently, in Hainan University’s general education course “Li Ethnic Culture”, Liu Xianglan—a national-level inheritor of Li brocade craftsmanship (an ICH), along with two of her sisters dressed in Li ethnic attire—sang the Li folk song “Parting Seems to Last, but a Reunion at Last”. After singing the song, they rolled up their sleeves and began to tell the stories behind the patterns of the Li brocade.

Instead of PowerPoint presentations or blackboard notes, what we can see in the course are cotton threads, waist looms, dye vats, as well as the eager eyes and curiosity of young learners. Students not only learn about ICH in the classroom, they can also step outside to do the bamboo pole dance, engage in tie-dyeing, weave Li brocades, and watch ICH performances, bringing ICH to life on Hainan University’s campus.

ICH Steps into Classrooms

“There are no blueprints for the patterns of Li brocade. Instead, it is taught hand in hand by generations of inheritors, and then woven stitch by stitch from memory, which is incredibly challenging,” Jin Qianqu, a student from Tiangong College, exclaimed with admiration. During the class, students crowded around the podium, some using their mobile phones to record the moment when Liu Xianglan was weaving the brocade, while others eager to try this amazing craft personally.

Li brocade, tie-dyeing, bamboo pole dance...These types of ICH, which could only be observed in museums or ethnic minority settlements in the past, have now stepped into the classrooms and the lives of students at Hainan University. Wang Xi, an associate professor from School of International Studies and the course leader, has been researching ICH for many years. She said, “ICH should not merely be static displays, but rather it needs to be touched, perceived, and integrated into the life experiences of young people.”

When the course was first launched in 2016, it was just an ordinary elective course aimed at spreading ethnic culture. This spring however, the course has been incorporated into the university’s general education curriculum with an innovative pedagogy. It adopts a “instructors—practitioners—students” teaching model, integrating theory with practice. By enabling students to “see, hear, and do actively ”, the course brings new life to heritage.

ICH Strikes a Chord with Young People

Firsthand experiences bring not only novelty but also resonance and a sense of identity. “Previously, when I saw Li brocade in museums, I could only appreciate its aesthetic beauty. However, after taking this course, I truly understand the meanings behind each pattern,” said Li Xun, a student from Chunming College of Hainan University.

This course has brought together diverse cohorts of students across disciplines and academic stages. They have transitioned themselves from curious onlookers to active participants and practitioners, dedicated to spreading ICH. Some students have taken the initiative to document classroom moments through short videos, while others have created cultural and creative products for display at campus events. Additionally, some students have formed interdisciplinary teams to participate in competitions such as the “Challenge Cup” and “Dachuang” (the National College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program), utilizing ICH elements as their themes. Through these multifaceted initiatives, they are exploring more possibilities for ICH inheritance.

For instance, after taking the course, Cai Rushun, a student from Chunming College, voluntarily opened a Douyin account (Chinese equivalent of TikTok) to document his classmates’ learning process of ICH crafts, garnering attention and likes online. “I used to think of ICH as something ‘to be protected’, but now I realize it can also be ‘loved’ and even ‘created’,” Cai Rushun reflected with emotion.

Currently, an increasing number of students are building affective connections with ICH and Hainan’s local culture through this course. ICH crafts are no longer mere skills; they have become a bridge linking youth with culture. A single class or a hands-on experience can quietly awake a generation’s interest in and appreciation of ICH.

Integrate ICH into Teaching Innovation

The popularity of this general education course is backed by Hainan University’s in-depth implementation of its “comprehensive credit system” reform. By implementing a unified course selection platform across the entire university and granting students greater autonomy in course selection, such distinctive courses are no longer confined to specific majors, but are open to undergraduates across disciplines, truly becoming cultural literacy courses—accessible to all and invaluable for everyone.

“Our goal is to make this course a ‘standard offering’, similar to physical education courses, ensuring that every Hainan University student has the opportunity to experience intangible cultural heritage”, stated the head of Hainan University’s Academic Affairs Office. The university provides special support in curriculum design, funding allocation, and faculty development to safeguard high-quality curriculum construction.

From his perspective, ICH culture is deeply rooted in Hainan’s cultural fabric. As the only  “Double First-Class” (First-class universities and First-class disciplines) university in Hainan Province, Hainan University bears the mission and capability to transform local ICH culture in Hainan into educational resources. “It would be a pity if students knew nothing about ICH culture during their four years of undergraduate study. The university hopes to make the understanding of Hainan’s ICH culture an integral part of students’ growth”, he remarked.

The course continues to evolve. As the university deepens digital transformation in education, the course team is trying the integration of AI technology and cross-media presentation into course instruction, exploring the construction of an immersive ICH learning platform. In the future, students will not only be able to experience ICH crafts online but also participate in extracurricular activities through a “smart course” system, benefiting from interconnected learning resources.

“What we’re doing is not just preservation but also creation. We aim to bring ICH into the lives of the youth, keep it alive in the present, and lead it towards the future,” said Wang Xi.

Translated by Lin Junjun

Proofread by Wang Kexian