The Wangchuan ceremony, a vibrant folk tradition in Fujian Province and among Chinese communities in Melaka, Malaysia, is capturing the hearts of young global citizens. This age-old ritual embodies the collective hopes for peace, the dispersal of disasters, and the blessing of good fortune, especially concerning the vast seas that are integral to the coastal lives.
At the heart of the ceremony lies the burning of the Wangchuan, a beautifully decorated model ship laden with offerings like food, fruits, and intricately crafted paper artifacts. As the ship sets ablaze and drifts away on the shoreline, it symbolizes the extinguishing of misfortunes, carried away by the flames and the rising smoke.
Passed down through generations, the Wangchuan ceremony serves as a potent cultural bond among Chinese communities in coastal areas, bridging the past with the present. Recognized for its cultural significance, the ceremony was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in China in 2011 and was inscribed onto UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2020.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
