Preserving our culture

[Music]

the songwriters song

is a verse from who oprah and it is in

the shanghainese language

it is a beautiful song and this is what

it meant

spring breathed through my face children

are happier than never

they’re wearing brand new clothes heard

in beautiful gifts

and singing faster songs

come on and dance with my invitation

this verse describes happy kids in the

new year

and is sat in a scene where people are

celebrating the festive season

and living to the fullest

our culture is our way of life

it is the essence of our existence

hua oprah is a part of my culture

it originated from shanghai and so did i

opera is a traditional opera which is

one of the members of 350 chinese local

operas

who are for started from the reign of

empire chiang lang

around 250 years ago then became popular

during the qing dynasty

in huapra a play is performed by several

hundreds of people

and it is just like the live plays of

the lion king or the nutcracker we see

today

the oprah narrates local stories that

happened in shanghai

it is an integral part of shanghainese

culture

it unites us and reminds us of our

culture

and of our heritage

it carries a lot of meanings the joy of

sharing beautiful moments details of our

heroes

and the wisdom of the wise passed down

through many generations

but today very few people know

or even perform or sing the opera

it is a far cry from my grandma’s time

when there are so many beautiful fans

and so many stars

of who oprah and so as a stronghouse

my question is what happens to our

culture

well here’s the answer

an astonishing ninety percent of the

local young people

in shanghai does not know

how to speak chinese the language itself

stands at risk of becoming extinct

i start to ask myself if all young kids

born in shanghai cannot speak

shanghainese

who is speaking it

if i don’t do something to prevent the

language from going extinct

now then when

and if the language itself is sentenced

what about the opera who will understand

or even perform it in the future

the burden is on me on us

shanghainese to do something

the importance of preserving our culture

cannot be overemphasized

language is connected with the culture a

person who doesn’t know their local

language

rarely knows their own culture it’s just

like a tree without roots

and a sea without origin

our culture shapes who we are it keeps

us together as community as society

it gives the shade values and explains

the many traditions that we have

i was lucky i started learning huawei

from kindergarten

thinking back i am really thankful that

my parents can send me to learn this

beautiful art

initially they just wanted to provide me

with a shanghai language environment

which i didn’t have at school but as i

grew older

i noticed that the main audience for who

opera

are all seniors there are no youth

or middle-aged people to be seen why

because they barely understand

when i talk about my hobby of singapore

opera my friends

who only watch youtube and our k-pop

fans they come and ask me oh come on iva

what year is it now

how could you still possibly sing this

old stuff

but i didn’t care about what they

thought since i loved it so much

well then i started to take action

i started performing at school where i

mixed popular music with traditional

language

of the opera as a result

it turned the table my friends now they

become

interested into these songs

together we perform for larger

assemblies in school

more and more people became familiar

with who opera

from our friends to our school and soon

in our community everyone loved it

and some of my friends even performed

with me on stage

now here comes the best part which is

that we got invited

to perform on reality tv shows

i didn’t realize that it made me

somewhat famous

people recognized me from the street and

strangers even said

oh i saw you on tv i love that

performance

now all of that positive feedback

encouraged me and urged me to do

something more

and let more people know about this art

soon after my corporate teacher and i

performed in community centers and other

public spaces

once we performed pool opera in metro

station downtown

which is like the most crowded place of

shanghai

wholly we have to rent a state and audio

system

we didn’t have a large budget so the

changing room

or i wouldn’t even call a changing room

since it is just a wooden frame

covered with a piece of fabric

it was all done in a very frugal manner

but since we’re just kids

it’s a great start and not an easy job

for us

but we knew all of these hardships was

worth it

we knew when i saw little kids dancing

and singing with us downstage

we knew when i saw two people coming

very far just for the show

and we knew it when i saw tears of joy

running down to seniors faces

because they finally heard the familiar

tune once again

from a young generation after 30 years

or so

we knew we did it our culture

is in which we express our unique

identity

as a society this may be through

the way we dress the language we speak

and other forms of expressions for

example dancing

or singing like cooper

now i’m in canada where we mostly speak

english

my language becomes a vital connection

between my past

and my present my hometown and my new

home

it serves as a reminder of where i came

from

preserving our culture is not just a

necessity

it is critical culture needs to be kept

alive

and relevant it must be learned and

regularly practiced

and it must be communicated through

generations

thus that is why involving us young

people

is essential to his survival

you may then ask how can you as a youth

help to preserve your whole language and

your whole culture

now allow me to share with you three

simple ways

first and foremost the most important

thing is to embrace where you came from

be proud and keep your language alive

speak it with those who understand it

your parents your grandparents or your

friends if they are able

being able to speak shanghainese from

such a young age

is truly a blessing for me i am

fortunate

that my parents enrolled me in a

language class when i was in

kindergarten

and because of that i am able to speak

it fluently now

secondly it is important to open your

mind and learn about your culture

the traditions the ceremonies to

different forms of art

and if you’re lucky they could be events

that you can attend to learn from

if not ask your elders to read about it

learning about your culture is a

rewarding way to get in touch with your

ancestral roots

for me that would mean to keep

practicing my traditions

and taking part in cultural festivities

at the same time i’m constantly asking

my parents or researching the things

that i don’t understand

or am not familiar with

finally last but not least share with

others

tell your friends about the stories

about your culture show them the

traditional clothing you wear like the

ones i’m wearing right now

sure do you think the food you make at

home these are bounds to spark that

interest in that conversation

by repeating it we ingrained it into our

minds

forever honestly i felt so much joy

in sharing my knowledge by performing

who oprah

for others and with others it has truly

been rewarding each time i sing

this is my story about my culture

i’m sure you have yours too our culture

is our identity it help us to feel safe

feel proud and to belong so

let us preserve our culture embrace our

traditions

and keep our language alive

i would like to sing one more verse from

cooper before i end

it describes the scene where guests are

welcomed and the host is happy to help

everyone who needs it

in english the meaning is as follows

set a feast to welcome everyone from

everywhere

start a fire in my fairy place to

welcome my guests

anyone who comes in is my guest and i

am happy to help because just like in

the verse

we should open our arms and our hearts

to help everyone in need

in every traditions that is indentured

[Music]

[Applause]

you