At the "two sessions," I trade a "hat" for a story

BEIJING, March 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- An interview with Sunjing, a reporter for China.org.cn on China's Two Sessions 2026:

At this year's "two sessions," I brought a hand-made Perler bead "hat" inspired by traditional Hezhe patterns as a small gift to Liu Lei, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, and a member of the Hezhe ethnic group.

She happily accepted, and told me how people used to mistake her for a member of Mongolian or Oroqen ethnic groups. But now, more people are getting to know the Hezhe ethnic group, and on seeing her, they immediately say, "You are from the ethnic group that sings 'Boat Song on the Wusuli'!"

The Hezhe are among China's smallest ethnic minority groups, with a population of just over 5,000. They dwell in remote, freezing regions; they have no written scripts, and increasingly fewer people can speak their own language; their time-honored oral art form, Yimakan storytelling, was once at risk of dying out. For an ethnic group, the deepest pain would be seeing their own culture being forgotten.

The Hezhe people need to be seen and remembered; and they need to find new paths forward. I asked Liu Lei whether that journey is difficult. "It's a formidable task," she said.

In 2008, at just 23 years old, Liu Lei became the only deputy to China's National People's Congress from the Hezhe ethnic group. During one of her early field visits, an elderly person held her hand and said, "When our generation is gone, no one will be able to perform Yimakan storytelling in its full form anymore." Then, who will remember the stories of our heroes?

Year after year, Liu Lei has carried the struggles and hopes of her people to the "two sessions." She never hesitated to speak frankly about the need for funds and policy support, nor did she shy away when asked to share her vision for the future. Gradually, the Hezhe digital intangible cultural heritage exhibition center was established, preserving Yimakan storytelling with a new form of digital permanence. More members from the younger Hezhe generations are willing to learn their traditional language, while folk melodies have once again become children's songs sung at home. Ethnic-themed cultural tourism has also garnered popularity, with thousands of tourists from both China and abroad gathering with the Hezhe people to celebrate the river's spring thaw, shouting "The river has opened!" in unison and praying for favorable weather and good harvests in the year ahead.

At the end of last year, China's Hezhen Yimakan storytelling was officially transferred from UNESCO's "List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding" to the "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". This moment meant the cultural roots of the Hezhe people had, at last, taken firm root.

This achievement was born of the Hezhe people's own determination to protect their culture, but also sustained by the collective support of the broader Chinese nation.

There are so many who have played a part. For example, several of Liu Lei's outfits for the "two sessions" were designed by an experienced craftsman who is not from the Hezhe ethnic group but has been doing her own research on Hezhe culture and traditional motifs; she tailored several sets of ethnic attire for Liu Lei free of charge and took immense pride in seeing Liu Lei wear her creations at the "two sessions." There are also grassroots officials stationed in Hezhe villages, and researchers and cultural workers documenting and preserving traditions. Liu Lei said: "They did all this out of genuine love for the Hezhe culture, with the sincere hope that our culture can be better carried forward."

On a vast land, love is never confined to narrow boundaries. These years, Liu Lei's efforts have extended far beyond the Hezhe ethnic group alone. She has advocated for the rights of all the ethnic minorities as well as the development of border areas with large ethnic minority populations. She is unmistakably a daughter of the Hezhe people, and has also become a most committed guardian of the broader Chinese nation.

As the saying goes, great rivers and seas become deep because they refuse no stream. In the same way, the current of the Chinese nation draws strength from every tributary flowing into it, and every one of us has been embracing each other tightly.

This year, the Songhua River will soon begin its spring thaw. Shall we go and celebrate its reopening together?

China Mosaic
http://chinamosaic.china.com.cn/

SOURCE China.org.cn