GUIYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- In a spacious exhibition hall which used to be his house, Qin Fazhong enthusiastically tells curious visitors the stories behind the thousands of colorful masks bearing varied expressions -- amiable, ferocious, or fearful.
"This mask is called Tunkou. It has a sword in its mouth and looks ferocious, but it represents justice," said Qin, 48. "We usually hang it in the house to drive away evil spirits."
"Each mask has a different story," he said.
Qin is a craftsman living in the village of Zhouguan in the city of Anshun, southwest China's Guizhou Province. The village is home to many artisans like Qin, who specialize in making masks for a local traditional opera called Dixi. Dixi performers wear various masks while performing operas about history and rituals to ward off evil spirits. Dixi opera was added to a national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
Since he was 14, Qin has been learning mask-carving skills from the village's older generations. After becoming a master himself, Qin toured the country and promoted and sold the masks in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Thanks to his hard work and exceptional carving skills, his business skyrocketed and his masks even gained popularity overseas.
Last year, his mask sales totaled more than 4 million yuan (about 591,600 U.S. dollars).
But the COVID-19 epidemic has completely disrupted his business chain this year, with the majority of mask sales evaporating.
"About 80 percent of previously confirmed deals have been canceled," he said.
As mask sales waned, Qin reinvented himself by adjusting his business model. Having built a private museum in 2016 to collect and display masks, he turned his attention toward drawing tourists to experience mask-carving.
The museum occupies a hall on the first floor of his house, with an area of about 270 square meters. The exhibition hall contains masks collected from around the world over the years, with some created centuries ago and boasting high values.
"In recent years, my museum has attracted more than 100,000 visits, mostly tourists from other provinces," Qin said. "But because I focused all my attention on selling masks in the past, the museum did not become a big business."
Beginning in May this year, Qin contacted local schools, government officials and market organizations to help promote rural culture tours featuring his museum. Qin also became an instructor at the museum, introducing the cultural value of his craft to visitors.
"I think after learning from him, I got to know mask culture a lot better," said Huang Rongkun, a 64-year-old tourist. "I am a local, so I knew a little bit about Dixi and the masks, but Qin told me a lot more and corrected some of my knowledge."
Qin has also opened a mask-carving studio beside the museum, allowing tourists to learn skills including mask-carving and coloring. Each visitor pays a little more than 100 yuan to experience the entire process. At the end of their visits, they take away the masks they made themselves as souvenirs.
The new business has been "pretty good," and Qin has received more than 10,000 visits in the last six months.
"I used to be a traditional craftsman and I made a living by creating the masks, but now I recommend our culture to tourists, and let them experience the culture by themselves. This not only makes money but also promotes rural culture," Qin said.
This year, Qin created a big, red bridal sedan chair, and in early September, he called on more than 100 villagers to help launch a "village tour" to boost rural tourism. Some villagers carried the chair, some wore masks, some donned traditional clothing, and some played drums and gongs as they toured villages in the vicinity.
"One important aspect of rural vitalization is the vitalization of culture, and it is my responsibility to dig, protect, inherit and promote traditional culture," he said. "I will do my best to promote culture and economic vitalization in rural China." Enditem
