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保护传统文化
Protect
Traditional Chinese Culture
Feng Jicai, born in Tianjin in 1942, is
a highly accomplished writer,
known for
his depictions of intellectuals’ lives and the
historical stories of
Tianjin, where he
has been living for more than 40 years. In recent
years,
while serving as executive
chairman of the China Federation of Literary
and
Art
Circles,
and
chairman
of
the
Tianjin
Writers
Association,
Feng
has dedicated most of
his time and energy to the preservation of Chinas
ethnic
and
folk
culture,
trying
to
save
the
country’s
vanishing
cultural
memories.
Feng frequently published articles in
newspapers, explaining his aims
and
beliefs to the local residents. He wrote, Cultural
relics are dead, but
culture is living
in the historical buildings. A city without
culture is a city
without root.
In
December 1999, Guyi Street, one of the oldest
streets in Tianjin,
was in the process
of being demolished. On this street, built during
the
Yuan
Dynasty,
there
were
many
famous
shops,
such
as
Qianxiangyi,
Ruifuxiang,
Shanxi Guild House, and the General Chamber of
Commerce
of
Tianjin.
Again,
Feng
called
for
volunteers
to
record
the
street
on
videotapes, and collect
oral history from local residents. In February
2000,
a set of postcards was published
with Guyi Street as the theme, attracting
long lines of purchasers. With Feng’s
efforts, the destruction plan for the