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Mr He expressed his concerns about the Dongba religion.
"As he spoke passionately, I began to cry and as I looked around the table I saw tears in the eyes of my colleagues". "And the same thought came to almost all of us: How can we do nothing and allow this ancient spiritual practice to disappear from the earth?"
Ford Foundation Report - The Soul of Lijiang
Making the Paper
 Hanging the Paper to Dry
 The View of the Jade Dragon from the Research Institute
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We live in a modern world, everything is changing, nations are modernising, traditional cultures are slowing dying, but why does it matter? Let a traditional tale provide an answer:
It is reported in the scriptures that Su and Man were two brothers who shared the same father but a different mother. Su was responsible for the harmonious management of nature, while Man was responsible for the management of agriculture. However, over time, Man destroyed the forest, polluted the rivers, and killed the wild animals. A saddened Su retaliated with illness, pestilence, flood and earthquake.
In order to apologise to Su, Man invited the Dongba master "Dingbashilou" to negotiate a truce between the two brothers. They agreed that Man can develop the mountains and the earth, can cut down the trees, and even hunt the wild animals, but that nature must be preserved.
Man and Su have since become good friends, Man has not abused nature, and Su has ensured that Lijiang is beautiful.
It is for this reason that the people of Lijiang are happy. Under the bright sunshine, the trees and grass grow, and as the grasslands become fertile, the cows and sheep multiply. The white clouds cover the mountain ranges, and the clear springs run into the valleys.
With modernisation comes benefits for the individual and the community but at the same time a balance needs to be struck, a harmony between the modern and the traditional. For often it is the old ways that are more in harmony with nature and also the inner feelings, the essence, in fact the happiness of the people.
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Dongba with Ceremonial Hat
The region of Lijiang has been three-fold recognised by UNESCO for World Heritage awards. Firstly there is the ancient city of Lijiang, secondly there is the surrounding countryside and finally there are the Dongba Hieroglyphs.
These hieroglyphs, the only such living system in the world, more resemble Egyptian than Chinese. The characters have almost a double life, from one viewpoint they are like a child's picture book with drawings of animals, gods and other life-like objects, but at the same time they have far deeper meanings. They express complex ideas and portray the philosophies and myths of a very distinctive religion.
During the so called Cultural Revolution or more accurately anti-cultural revolution any activity deemed to be traditional was seen as suspect and almost eliminated. Dongba priests were banned from practising or passing on their skills to future generations, while many ancient manuscripts were destroyed. After the Cultural Revolution, this once great culture suffered more setbacks simply through neglect.
Today there is no doubt that the culture is threatened. Most of the locals only know a few hieroglyphs. However, efforts are being made at the nearby Cultural Research Institute, with ancient documents being translated for posterity, and young Dongbas being trained.
This may prove too little to late but there is hope and it is definitely worth the effort. For this traditional culture is not only a part of the people themselves, but also encourages a care for the local environment which otherwise may be neglected.
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