IT'S hard not to look forward as economic good times rapidly change the face of Minhang. But the district also has an equally fascinating face of the past that is both beguiling and intricate.

Minhang cultural heritage has always been nourished by the Huangpu River, the mother of local civilization. The footsteps of ancestors are 5,000 years old, dating back to the Maqiao people who first settled around her shores.

The long and zigzagging Chunshen River, which flows into the Huangpu, still whispers the legends of old.

The mottled cobblestones of Qibao Old Street have their tales to tell. Xinzhuang crochet, Maqiao lion dances, Zhuanqiao paper cuts and Qibao shadow plays proudly exemplify the cultural ties that have woven civilization here together for centuries.

The second Saturday of June is designated as China's National Cultural Heritage Day. What better reason to explore the splendor of Minhang's cultural history!


Zhuanqiao paper cuts

With just a pair of scissors and a piece of red paper, a paper-cut artist can create a hairy crab within minutes.

It's the charm of paper-cutting, a meticulous art for which the Zhuanqiao area is renowned. Paper cuts come in every shape and size, limited only by an artisan's imagination.

At a cultural center at 158 Zhuanxing Road, the world of paper cuts unfolds.

Most paper cuts bear auspicious meanings in the Chinese culture, portraying such characters as xi (happiness), fu (fortune), lu (prosperity) and shou (longevity).

There's ruyi, a ceremonial scepter from Chinese Buddhism, and a lush variety of peonies, animals like red-crowned cranes and goldfish, and traditional images from folklore and landscapes.

Some paper cuts depict old temples, bell towers and ancient bridges of the area.

Many local households hang paper artworks in their sitting rooms, and beautiful paper-cut patterns lend a splash of color to lanterns.

There are about 2,600 paper-cut artists in the area of Zhuanqiao.

The art of paper-cutting has been gradually blended with engraving, painting, calligraphy and interior decorations. The art form was listed one of Shanghai's cultural heritage icons in 2009.


Xinzhuang knitting

Xinzhuang Town was once a center for crochet craftsmanship. The history of the art form dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

It is said that women living in the Xinzhuang region were good at knitting fishnets during those dynasties. They used hairpins bent into needles to create hats and bags that were both used in the home and sold in local markets.

In 1886, French missionaries at the Xujiahui Cathedral introduced European knitting techniques to the local population. A workshop producing crochet goods was set up then near the cathedral. The business was expanded to Xinzhuang, which is about 20 kilometers away.

Women in Xinzhuang then blended the two techniques, making exquisite and elegant knitted goods that included garments, accessories, pillow slips, tablecloths and curtains.

Xinzhuang crochet nowadays includes more than 30 variations of needlework. The patterns, mostly featuring flowers, are delicate and beautiful. The art requires imagination, sensitivity and skilled hands.

The folk craft became a large local industry in the 1920s, which was extended to the nearby Qibao and Zhuanqiao areas. Many of the goods were exported overseas.

Girls as young as 10 made a living by knitting and crocheting. By the 1970s, there were as many as 130,000 people in the area working in the cottage industry, with menfolk sometimes relegated to housework to allow the women time to knit.

Machines eventually took over the trade and handwork ebbed. Local people could no longer rely on the needlework to make money.

The Xinzhuang Culture Center has stepped up efforts to save the art from being lost. Classes are taught to promote the handicraft.

Among the older stalwarts is Jin Longhua, who began knitting when she was only two and could turn out well-made pieces by the time she was six. She's still a living legend of the art, her handmade work featuring intricate patterns of 1,100 flowers, decorated with paillettes and crystal beads.


Maqiao hand lion dance

The lion dance has long held a special place in traditional Chinese festivals. Dancers concealed in the costume of a lion make the king of beasts dance in exuberant fashion, accompanied by the pounding of drums.

In ancient times, the people of Maqiao dressed up and flocked to the streets on the Lantern Festival. They carried bright lion lanterns, and because the narrow streets were crowded, they used bamboo sticks to hoist their lanterns high. They danced and their lanterns danced along with them. That was the origin of the hand lion dance.

The folk dance remains popular in Minhang. It has come to be a blend of dance and acrobatics skills.

The head and tail of the lion are tied to a bamboo stick, and colored strips of silk are used to represent the body. The mouth of the lion can open and close. Colored balls decorate the lion's body.

The heaviest "lion" weighs up to 40 kilograms.

During the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, Maqiao lion dance was performed at the Expo site, and last year the dance was designated a national cultural heritage icon.


Qibao shadow play

Cao Moyun, 47, stepped into the Qibao Shadow Play Pavilion to watch a show of the district's ancient folk art, but he found he couldn't understand half of the plot, which was adapted from the Peking Opera classic "Generals of the Yang Family." The language barrier was to blame.

"It's performed in Qibao dialect, and I think even my parents cannot totally understand it," he said.

A father who said he just wanted to expose his 12-year-old son to the folk culture admitted the same thing. "I never expected him to understand it," he said.

This shadow play folk art has also been designated an official Shanghai cultural icon worthy of being preserved. Some worry that it's on the verge of extinction.

It's hard both to find new blood for the art form and to cultivate interest among young audiences.

The history of the Qibao Shadow Play, a traditional Chinese storytelling art form, dates back more than 120 years.

A man surnamed Mao, who lived in the local area, is credited with establishing the first shadow play troupe. The art form was passed down from generation to generation.

Shadow puppetry originated in what today is Shaanxi Province in northwestern China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). It was an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment where artists manipulated two-dimensional puppets on sticks from below and behind a backlit screen.

The Qibao shadow play developed its own characteristics by blending Taoism music and melodies from the region south of the Yangtze River. The flute replaced the traditional suona, and the puppets were crafted from sheepskin rather than donkey leather.

The shadow plays recreate traditional fairy tales and myths.