Preserving our culture
[Music]
[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
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
it
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]
m
[Music]
ah
[Applause]
you