Cultural activities in Youyang are always accompanied by communal songs. From August 2nd to 13th, the Interdisciplinary Design & Social Innovation Summer Camp, “Song of You”, jointly organized by Hunan University, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, and Markor Furnishings, came to a successful ending. Forty students, teachers, and volunteers joined this camp, which was based in Brilliant Lion Primary School in Qingquan Village .They conducted various activities in villages like Tonggu, Heishui and Nanmuand, including exploring the origin of Youyang culture, collecting intangible cultural heritages and visiting local folk artists.

Yang Drama in Youyang is a kind of folk opera which combines sacrificial rites and opera art with a strong religious atmosphere. It is regarded as one of the core cultural geographic symbols of Youyang.

There are usually 7 to 32 sets of masks depending on performance needs. According to different roles, performers wear different kinds of masks. Various melodies and instruments are used during the performance. There are now 7 distinct types of Yang Drama in Youyang county, each with its own cultural and regional characteristics.

Masks for Yang Drama are unique and delicate. Few local residents still  know manufacturing skills handed down from their ancestors. They use cypress as the main material. After selecting the proper branch from the cypress tree, they cut it into two in the middle and  put it under the sun for about 2 months, then start to carve and paint it in order to make it delicate and charming.

The first time we heard about Qinghao Straw, or the sweet wormwood, was from a news article published in 2011. This article explained that Artemisinin, found by the Chinese medical researcher Tu Youyou, who won the Lasker Medical Research Awards, was extracted from Qinghao Straw. When we first saw the Qinghao Straw in YouYang, it seemed to be ubiquitous: in the houses,in  the yards, on the roads……

After our astonishment a local resident told us that a big packet of Qinghao Straw can be purchased for only 5 RMB. Planting Qinghao Straw requires a lot of labor, but it is sold so cheaply. So we naturally began to think about the farmers’ welfare and the difficulty they have to bear to make a profit. How can we protect their efforts? Who cares about them? What can designers do to improve their lives?