Promoting heritage awareness in the creative industry through BRI

CULTURAL and social exchange is one of the five key areas of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Therefore, Malaysia and China can focus on cultural exchange through the creative industry.

In China, the creative industry is also known as the “cultural industry”. Under the Revitalisation Plan of Cultural Industries 2009, the cultural or creative industry was rigorously promoted through film and TV making, press and distribution, print and copy, advertising, performing arts and recreation, cultural exhibition, digital content and animation industries.

In 2010, the Chinese government recognised the cultural industry as one of the pillar industries for China. As of 2020, cultural industries have created an added value of 4.43% of China’s gross domestic product and this has increased to 4.56% in 2021.

With the strong support of the central government, the provincial governments are trying to identify and portray their distinctive heritage.

For example, in Chengdu, the local government has developed creative hubs such as the Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li which features the traditional Sichuan heritage with a blend of creative and artistic expression. The local authorities engaged artists, artisans, dancers, musicians, writers, storytellers, filmmakers and authors to plan, organise and partake in activities at the creative hubs.

Chengdu has also proudly created online games based on its heritage sites such as the Temple of Marquis and Jinsha sites. Not only have the games introduced Chengdu’s tangible heritage, they have also aroused the interest of gamers, particularly the younger generations, to find out more about the history of the different dynasties and the contribution of the emperors and chancellors.

The historical and heritage-related games have successfully increased the heritage awareness of China’s civilization locally and abroad.

The Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources has implemented a long-term plan connecting various historical and heritage resources encompassing both the cities’ and outskirts’ spatial spaces.

Local communities are invited to participate in the narrations of the history and heritage of Chengdu and the ancient Shu Dynasty’s legacy. The engagements with communities have enriched the narrations and enabled presentations of Chengdu’s heritage to be more creative and innovative.

As the world is going through rapid social and economic transformation, being aware of one’s own heritage is important for identity and sense of belonging.

Heritage awareness empowers individuals from within, making heritage an intrinsic and self-searching experience. Through the development of the creative industry, more people will be able to realise the industry’s connection to their heritage. It will ensure that the industry remains sustainable while empowering the people to protect and promote their own heritage.

Likewise, Malaysia has introduced the National Creative Industry Policy or Dasar Industri Kreatif Nasional (DIKN) in 2009 to foster creativity, innovation and a knowledge-based economy among the arts, culture, media, technology and other sectors.

Under the DIKN, three categories of creative industry have been identified with fourteen sub-categories, namely multimedia (film and TV, advertising, design animation and digital content), cultural arts (crafts, visual arts, music, performing arts, creative writing and fashion and textiles) and cultural heritage (museum, archives, restoration and preservation).

Since then, various programmes, training and resources were supported by the government in order to develop and facilitate the growth of the creative industry in Malaysia. Under the 11th Malaysia Plan in 2016, the development of the creative industry was set as one of the top priorities in the country. Accordingly, investment in education and training in arts, design, music and film to produce more talented and skilled individuals have been rigorously conducted.

Take for instance, Sarawak, where the state government has identified five categories of creative industry with eighteen sub-categories, namely creative arts (music, visual arts, performing arts and literary arts), arts and culture (culinary/gastronomy and crafts), media production (film, television, radio and digital media), design (fashion, architecture, interactive design, graphic design and interior design) and information technology (software, computer games and animation).

The Sarawak government is trying to promote the involvement of local communities in turning their heritage into creative products. In 2023, a series of townhalls are being organised throughout Sarawak by the state Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Ministry (formerly known as the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture) to expose and strengthen the awareness among the people that arts, culture and heritage are still very essential parts of lives and could be turned into tangible or intangible “products”.

The Sarawak government promotes “creativity” as something familiar in life, which has the ability to change the traditional ways of doing things through the incorporation of new ideas or methods.

The incorporation of these new ideas or methods makes the art or cultural elements more presentable, appetising and attractive to suit the tastes and needs of the contemporary society while at the same time, not losing their authentic identities.

The state government provides funding to support artists, artisans, craftswomen/men, authors, filmmakers, composers, dancers, makeup artists, animators, etc. to conduct their activities through exhibitions, forums, seminars, workshops, performances, competitions, book publications and many more.

The local communities are encouraged to organise events that showcase their local heritage, and the government extensively promotes the events statewide through live telecasts and media reporting.

As of September 2023, over 100 programmes related to the creative industry have been organised throughout Sarawak.

In countries with diverse ethnic groups and cultures, such as China and Malaysia, cooperation between the two countries under the framework of the BRI to actively promote cultural exchange will enable citizens from both countries to understand and appreciate each other’s ethic groups and cultures.

In a nutshell, the creative industry serves as a platform to recognise and embrace diversity and it further fosters social harmony and inclusivity. The development of the creative industry helps protect, preserve and make heritage resources sustainable.

Dr Elena Gregoria Chai Chin Fern is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. She is currently seconded to the Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Ministry. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.

The SEARCH Scholar Series is a social responsibility programme jointly organised by the Southeast Asia Research Centre for Humanities (SEARCH) and Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT), in conjunction with the 10-year anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.

METERED

COLUMN: SEARCH SCHOLAR series