Jilin Shows off Its Unique Chinese-Korean Ethnic Heritage

The city of Yanji in Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture, Jilin province, put on a display of its cultural heritage, on June 16, with a Sino-Korean heritage theme, including the gayageum, a traditional musical instrument that is popular in the region, a long-drum dance, bamboo flutes, and traditional dances.

The show, arranged by the local cultural bureau, attracted around 1,000 people, with the idea of preserving the local culture, especially the Sino-Korean ethnic culture, and as a celebration of the 10th China Cultural Heritage Day, on June 13.

The show has five items out of more than 300 cultural items from the region, mainly in folk music and dances, with 17 at the national-level and 77 at the provincial. The gayageum was added to the national heritage list in 2011 and it was used at a major show in a stadium in the city of Longjing, Jilin province, in 2013, which involved 854 players, an event that made it onto the Guinness World Records. And, a long-drum dance, performed in 2008 in the city of Tumen, Jilin, involving 694 dancers, also joined the Guinness Records.

The bamboo flute has a history of about 1,500 years, and joined national heritage list in 2008. Two other dances also made the Guinness Records.