The Invention Of Tradition

In ours views, the tradition exists in the countryside. The Invention of Tradition may be followed by new elements coming into the life of village. Zhou Yuanqiang, the head of a culture center of the town of Jingcheng, in the suburb of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province, produces, directs and edits TV plays with local farmers exclusively. This phenomenon is the outcome of the invention.Until 2004, His farmers'TV workshop had so far made 23 TV plays with 52 episodes. Most of them are stories about modern China's revolutionary history; others are domestic comedies and kung fu stories set in ancient times. The farmers'TV workshop plays an important part in Jingcheng.This'mysterious'story has somewhat reflected the change of manners and customs in the rural life. The traditional entertainment interacts with the new aspect of life. Zhou Yuanqiang has established farmers'TV workshop by absorbing sorts of resources in the traditional entertainment. The farmers'TV workshop reflects the development of rural cultural activities.In 2004 and 2005, there were other farmers who produced, directed and edited TV plays with local farmers in Shandong and Helan Province.These activities not only'are in the countryside'or'take the farmer as the actor'but also take the farmer as the master. This is their own's enterprise and TV plays. They handle the matter even more actively. The activities become the way of living.The traditional entertainment in rural life helps the development of new entertainment. The farmers'TV workshop in turn helps the development of the traditional entertainment in rural life. This interaction will be able to be more and more obvious.'The invention of tradition'has two sides. The culture-of-Grassroots is the foundation of them. We hope that these farmers director's enterprise would bring us everlasting inspiration and endless musing about the culture in rural life.