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.
人們腳踩長竹，在江中翩翩起舞。你或許會認為這是一部武打片的場景，但其實。這是一項非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)——獨竹漂。

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.
獨竹漂發(fā)源于貴州赤水河流域，已有兩千多年歷史。秦朝時期，遵義播州盛產(chǎn)上等楠木，需要向2000多公里以北的朝廷大量進貢。赤水河流域交通不便，人們需要站在一樁木頭上沿河漂流而下。后來，當?shù)厝碎_始以此進行比賽，“獨木漂”比賽也就此誕生。清朝時期，由于竹子價格相對低廉，“獨木漂”漸漸變成了“獨竹漂”。

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，在每年的端午節(jié)期間，貴州的一些地區(qū)都會舉辦獨竹漂比賽。掌握這門技藝需要具備出色的體能及平衡能力，“獨竹漂”在本月初也被列入國家級非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)代表性項目名錄。

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歲的楊柳是獨竹漂的傳承人。她7歲時便向祖母學習這門技藝。楊柳表示，獨竹漂最難的部分便是保持平衡?！霸诰毩暤臅r候，我掉進水里好幾次，”她在接受《揚子晚報》采訪時如此表示。

“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.
“我們腳下的竹子通常約9米長，手中的竹子約有5米。如果竹子的長度或者直徑不夠，便不會產(chǎn)生足夠的浮力。所以我們會不斷地變換角度，對抗水流，”楊柳補充道。

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.
對這門古老技藝的熱愛讓楊柳堅持了下來。在過去的17年間，不論嚴寒酷暑，她一年到頭都在水上漂著。如今，她能夠在水上展現(xiàn)“中式輕功”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.
在傳播獨竹漂文化時，楊柳也頗具創(chuàng)意。比如，她將舞蹈動作和獨竹漂相結(jié)合，令其更為優(yōu)雅。隨著漢服文化的興起，楊柳在表演時開始穿上了漢服，營造出了一種古色古香的美妙氛圍。2020年，楊柳注冊了社交媒體平臺，并發(fā)布了自己的視頻。

“I want it to spread to other countries so that more people around the world will like Chinese culture,” she said.
“我要讓獨竹漂‘漂’到國外去，讓世界更多的人喜歡中國文化，”她如此表示。

以上文章內(nèi)容選自《21世紀學生英文報高中版》，詳情請見《21世紀學生英文報高中版》高一837期