Yang Liu, 24, performs bamboo drifting. VCG
People perform graceful moves, all while standing on a bamboo strip in the river. You may think it’s a scene from a martial arts movie, but actually it is a form of intangible cultural heritage: bamboo drifting.
人们脚踩长竹，在江中翩翩起舞。你或许会认为这是一部武打片的场景，但其实。这是一项非物质文化遗产——独竹漂。
Bamboo drifting originated in the Chishui River area of Guizhou over 2,000 years ago. During the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the Bozhou district of Zunyi city was known for its high-quality nanmu. It was in great demand by the royal court more than 2,000 kilometers to the north. With no transportation along the Chishui River, people had to stand on one log to drift down the river. Later, local people began to compete along the way and the game of wood drifting was born. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), wood drifting became bamboo drifting because of bamboo’s lower price.
独竹漂发源于贵州赤水河流域，已有两千多年历史。秦朝时期，遵义播州盛产上等楠木，需要向2000多公里以北的朝廷大量进贡。赤水河流域交通不便，人们需要站在一桩木头上沿河漂流而下。后来，当地人开始以此进行比赛，“独木漂”比赛也就此诞生。清朝时期，由于竹子价格相对低廉，“独木漂”渐渐变成了“独竹漂”。
Now, communities in Guizhou hold bamboo drifting competitions every year during Dragon Boat Festival. Due to the great strength and balance it takes for one to master this act, bamboo drifting was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list earlier this month.
如今，在每年的端午节期间，贵州的一些地区都会举办独竹漂比赛。掌握这门技艺需要具备出色的体能及平衡能力，“独竹漂”在本月初也被列入国家级非物质文化遗产代表性项目名录。
Yang Liu, 24, is an inheritor of bamboo drifting. She learned it from her grandmother when she was 7. Yang said the most difficult part of bamboo drifting was keeping one’s balance. “I fell in the water several times when I was practicing,” she told Yangtze Evening News.
24岁的杨柳是独竹漂的传承人。她7岁时便向祖母学习这门技艺。杨柳表示，独竹漂最难的部分便是保持平衡。“在练习的时候，我掉进水里好几次，”她在接受《扬子晚报》采访时如此表示。
“Usually, the bamboo under your feet is about 9 meters long, and the bamboo in your hands is about 5 meters. If the length or diameter of the bamboo is not long enough, it will not be buoyant enough to float. So we should fight against the current by constantly changing the angle,” Yang added.
“我们脚下的竹子通常约9米长，手中的竹子约有5米。如果竹子的长度或者直径不够，便不会产生足够的浮力。所以我们会不断地变换角度，对抗水流，”杨柳补充道。
But the love for the ancient skill keeps Yang going. In the past 17 years, she has drifted all year round, in winter cold and summer heat. Now, she is able to do “Chinese qinggong” on the water.
对这门古老技艺的热爱让杨柳坚持了下来。在过去的17年间，不论严寒酷暑，她一年到头都在水上漂着。如今，她能够在水上展现“中式轻功”了。
Yang also shows creativity when spreading the culture of bamboo drifting. For example, she incorporates dance into bamboo drifting to make it more graceful. As hanfu culture has been on the rise, Yang started wearing hanfu when performing, creating a beautiful vintage feel. In 2020, Yang registered on social media platforms and posted her videos.
在传播独竹漂文化时，杨柳也颇具创意。比如，她将舞蹈动作和独竹漂相结合，令其更为优雅。随着汉服文化的兴起，杨柳在表演时开始穿上了汉服，营造出了一种古色古香的美妙氛围。2020年，杨柳注册了社交媒体平台，并发布了自己的视频。
“I want it to spread to other countries so that more people around the world will like Chinese culture,” she said.
“我要让独竹漂‘漂’到国外去，让世界更多的人喜欢中国文化，”她如此表示。
