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Experimental China-Realizing Tradition, cont.
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In 1999, at the Asia Pacific Performing Arts Network (APPAN) meeting in India, members of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and I began discussing the concepts of "Experimental Tradition" and matters of cooperation. I truly believed that, after the return of Hong Kong to China, the total implementation of "one country, two systems" would be an important opportunity to develop the concept of cultural pluralism. If Hong Kong could really take advantage of this opportunity, it absolutely could develop into a truly global cultural laboratory. The fruits of this laboratory, the benefits it produced, would not only be regional, applicable only to the greater China region, but global. "One country, two systems" has provided unprecedented breathing space and opportunity for a cultural dialectic, yet– I could not know this at the time– in the grinding process of contact between China and Hong Kong, Hong Kong's compromising attitude and fawning political culture with regard to China, have actually led to continuing neglect of this important opportunity.
"One country, two systems" is itself already an experiment, and, I believe, an elaboration of and a challenge to the cultural concept of "country". If the leaders of "two systems" really have vision and vigor, this experiment will redefine the position of, and open up a new path for, the culture of "country", as it is treated in the history of human civilization, while at the same time, soften up the borders between countries, and the resistance and strain arising from cultural differences. A forward-looking culture has no boundaries, and experimental arts should also be so. Forward-looking cultural development itself tries to promote cooperation that transcends cultures, regions, and borders, and furthers generation-to-generation transmission. The development of the traditional operatic arts should also be so.
After six years of work, in 2005, I again had discussions with UNESCO, and confirmed the idea of gradually expanding the process of systematization of the work of the "Experimental Tradition" Research and Development Program, to the traditional performing arts of other Asia Pacific regions, with the suggestion of Hong Kong as a base, and Chinese traditional performing arts as a starting point. Currently we are planning for the establishment of the Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage. The plan for the first five years includes:
- Creative development and promotion-
Hold an annual Experimental Traditional arts festival, inviting traditional artists from the Asia Pacific region to jointly create an "Experimental Tradition" series of theatrical works.
- Research and publishing-
Collect and record data from different areas of traditional arts, establishing a data bank for reference and research, and publish a series of books.
- Education and training-
Through Zuni's network of local and overseas educational institutes, promote traditional arts, and carry out educational and experimental cooperative work, in schools and communities, starting first in Hong Kong, then extending to neighboring areas.
- Artist/scholar/researcher group plan-
Hold regular exchange platforms and group plans, inviting Asia Pacific area traditional arts workers, scholars, and frontline cultural workers to Hong Kong to create, study, and carry out academic exchange.
- International cultural network activities-
Organize a traditional arts and international cultural exchange network, and hold annual exchange meetings and discussions, exploring the direction of traditional art's future development.
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