Young Inheritors of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

This series is a set of children’s novels about intangible cultural heritage， which focuses on the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage， the promotion of excellent traditional Chinese culture， and the use of literary techniques to create vivid and interesting stories with ups and downs， so as to arouse young people’s attention， care and love for intangible cultural heritage.

Young Inheritors of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

Yu Tiantian

Nanfang Daily Press

May 2024

84.00 (CNY)

Yu Tiantian

Yu Tiantian， the deputy captain of the drama actors team of the National Centre for the Performing Arts， has long been engaged in drama management， stage plays， and children’s literature creation.

This was the first time Yunqi played a game against Master Panda after joining the Go society. The master was going to play a teaching game with her. From this game onwards， Yunqi would undergo a transformation.

Master Panda had a habit when playing Go: He would hold a small bamboo stick， not to eat， but to grasp in his hand， occasionally bringing it to his nose to sniff. It was akin to other players’ habit of holding a fan， and the master called this “having a plan in mind” (a play on the Chinese idiom “chest full of bamboo”).

At this moment， Master Panda picked up his small bamboo stick again， habitually waving it in front of his chest.

Yunqi had already played through Master Panda’s game records countless times and knew them by heart. However， when the master let Yunqi play first， she couldn’t find her rhythm， and her weakness showed immediately. Fortunately， she adjusted her emotions in time， stabilized herself quickly， and seized on a slight hesitation from Master Panda to slightly turn the situation in her favor.

Master Panda’s expression didn’t change a bit. Even though his advantage had been diminished， his skill mid-game was top-notch. He excelled at opening up new possibilities elsewhere on the board， especially when at a disadvantage， by sacrificing pieces strategically.

Yunqi became increasingly anxious， the overwhelming pressure making it hard for her to breathe. She desperately invaded the opponent’s territory， neglecting to defend a group of stones with a fatal weakness， focusing only on competing with the master for territory.

Master Panda， holding his small bamboo stick， waved it again in front of his chest. He knew Yunqi was following his train of thought; each of her moves was almost within his expectations. Yet， he was slightly surprised by her stubborn persistence.

Master Panda then put down his bamboo stick and gently delivered a decisive move， cutting off all of Yunqi’s escape routes — a move that sealed the game. Yunqi felt a bone-chilling cold， as if she could see all her stones shattered， yet she had no way to respond.

She lifted her head， looked at Master Panda’s dark circles， and softly called out， “Master，” as tears rolled down her cheeks.

At this moment， Master Panda suddenly picked up a black stone belonging to Yunqi and said to her， “Why do we love playing Go? Because it holds countless possibilities. Until the very last moment， you never know who will win.”

Master Panda gently placed the black stone in a seemingly inconspicuous spot. Suddenly， Yunqi realized that the master’s move， though seemingly isolated， had divided the white stones into two separate groups. Now the white stones had to be saved， giving the black stones a small window of time — whether or not the black stones could seize this opportunity was the question.

Yunqi wiped her tears and started to fight back with all her might. She tried to tear through the master’s formation， but after a fierce struggle， she found that the territory she had painstakingly built was lost again.

In the end， Yunqi still lost.

Master Panda stood up and hugged Yunqi， rubbing her head with his furry hand. Yunqi felt herself wrapped in a large， soft fur coat， realizing how small she really was in front of her master.

Master Panda put her down and said to the other disciples， “From today on， you will accompany her in five-person battles. Each day， five of you will play against her. You can discuss among yourselves， but not with Yunqi. I will check your progress， and Yunqi can come to me anytime for a review.”

“Yes， Master，” the group responded in unison.

Master Panda glanced at Yunqi， whose big eyes were still brimming with tears. He then turned to Li Chun and said， “Take her to have some milk tea， this little crybaby.”

The next day， Master Panda asked Senior Sister Li Qiu to transfer Yunqi’s school registration to Qinglongshan Primary School nearby. From then on， Yunqi’s days were filled with classes， playing Go， reviewing and memorizing game records， and solving endless life-and-death problems. She didn’t have any time to be mischievous， and Master Panda’s stomach felt better than before.

Yunqi quickly became the most diligent student in the dojo， and Master Panda’s careful teaching made her Go skills improve rapidly.

Time flew by， and four years passed in the blink of an eye. Master Panda felt it was time for Yunqi to venture out and that she should also return to Guangzong for a visit.

Before leaving， Senior Sister Li Qiu cut Yunqi’s hair， making her look like a boy again. In fact， Yunqi wanted to grow her hair long; she had never had long hair and thought Senior Sister Li Qiu’s long hair was beautiful. But Senior Sister said， “Long hair is inconvenient for washing; short hair is better. It makes your eyes look especially big， so you can intimidate your opponents.”

Yunqi thought about it and agreed， so she decided to keep her hair short. After bidding farewell to her senior brothers and sisters， Yunqi went to Master Panda’s room.

The “God of Black and White” was still sitting there chewing on bamboo， ignoring her， but he pointed to the table with his mouth. Yunqi saw a small piece of bamboo tied with a red string on the table. She picked it up and tried it on her neck—it fit perfectly.

After finishing his bamboo， Master Panda stood up， looked Yunqi up and down， and seemed satisfied: “When you wear this， everyone will know whose disciple you are. My craftsmanship isn’t bad， right?”

“Master， you made this for me!”

“Of course， I made it yesterday. It took me the whole night! Now you also ‘have a plan in mind’!” Master Panda said proudly.

“Wow! That means I’m the best player in the world!” Yunqi raised the small bamboo piece high against the sunlight， its green hue almost dripping from it， and under the red string’s contrast， it looked even more translucent. The more she looked at it， the more she liked it.

“Thank you， Master!” Yunqi was overjoyed.

Master Panda suddenly hugged Yunqi and said to her， “You are now a Zhengzi (a situation where a stone in Go games can never get more than one new liberty). No matter how many difficulties lie ahead， once you start moving， you must advance toward the goal in your heart. Walk bravely forward， and you will succeed because you are Hao Yunqi.”