We grew in time like children

By Tim Zhou, founder and leader of ICHR-CAS club

The ICHR-CAS club had a history of improvement - originally an SA (Service as Action, a requirement in IB MYP curriculum) activity in BWYA (my school) at the start. Back then SA activities involved mainly physically demanding tasks such as labor in a orphanage (named Sun Village) or sorting books and items in a charity store (Roundabout store). Indeed they were meaningful and charitable projects supporting charity organizations with free labor and donations; however, I figured repeating similar methods of helping the community was not satisfying, since all the activities were pre-established and almost saturated with volunteers and donation income, in which one or few individuals can seldomly make a difference. Iteration of similar SA activities afforded minimal incentive for me to go further, say less feel the joy of SA or attain its fundamental goal.

With the hope of finding better activities, I set off to search online for possible project ideas, organizations and/or fundraisers in need of support. Coincidentally I came across a news article about the ICH “Dashuhua” from the town of NuanQuan in Yu county of Hebei province, a traditional ritual featuring throwing molten iron on to city brick walls. As stated by its most skillful inheritor Mr. Wang De, Dashuhua was in peril with only 5-8 capable performers and devoid of apprentices, people of the younger generation willing to become future Dashuhua masters. From this, I acquired a focus group and followed an unprecedented element in my SA experience - exploration, if the resurrection of this ICH becomes an SA project for real. So I decided to pay a visit to the location in person and plot out what I could do.

Upon arrival, the conditions of the small town surprised me. As a person who grew up in an urban area, the undoped wilderness which encompassed, smoky and acrid odor of burning charcoal/coal, and sight of people in a gigantic gathering were uncommon. I took a tour around the boarders of NuanQuan constructed with stone bricks and cobblestone, waiting for the Dashuhua performance till night fall.

When the sun sank beneath the horizon, everything was about ready. I sat in the stadium facing the rocky stage backed by a tall brick wall, while the smelter at the backstage penetrated beams of yellow incandescence through the rooftop of the hut it was under. Not long after 4 men, dressed in reversed sheepskin and wearing leather boots and hats, emerged into view of the audience carrying a heavy cement crucible on a metal rack. The mouth of container glowed yellowish-white from the intense heat, and occasionally sputtered droplets of sparking fire. They stopped at center of the stage and lowered crucible to the ground, minding not to knock over a bucket of water near. A single person remained on stage as others moved out of focus. He stood firmly and suddenly pulled out a large wooden spoon from the bucket, scooped up molten iron in the crucible and threw it at the wall in several consecutive shots. It was a truly astonishing splendor when blobs of iron exploded on contact with the wall into millions of glistening droplets that burned like the most magnificent fireworks, illuminating the entire stage and stadium with orange-yellow light. Afterward, 4-5 rounds of splashes continued until the iron ran out, each shaped differently but equally fascinating.

I exited the stadium at end of the performance, and that night I no longer felt cold despite staying in the middle of snowy mountains during deep winter.

After this trip, I made it my SA activity for the term. The activity's aim was to raise awareness for ICH in the community (school and beyond), assist local people in their heritage preservation, and preserve ICH with innovation - shown by the newborn idea “Iron Heart Jewelry” from Dashuhua which I brainstormed with my club members. The “Iron Heart Jewelry” incorporates pieces of cooled iron fragment produced in Dashuhua performances into ember-colored epoxy resin, to symbolize the glorious image of showering, glowing droplets of molten iron the performance displays. This product can be crafted in various colors, shapes, and sizes, and sold well on the fund-raising sales of May Fair, another school-run activity utilizing power of school community to fund charities.

Before long, there came challenges I had to confront. Most could not understand the essence of my project (which was innovative redesign) and called it “handicrafts sale” or “Dashuhua investigation”. Some teachers even questioned authenticity of ICHR and initially deemed it unsuitable for SA due to “excessive parental involvement.” I could not blame them because the activity failed to show them otherwise in advance, and what they conceived was the single trip to NuanQuan I went on. In order to completely justify the name of ICHR and give a good explanation to my teachers and fellow students, I initiated the ICHR-CAS club in 9th grade in BWYA to commence further, more independent sub-projects demonstrating commitment to preservation of ICH and service to their immediate beneficiaries. Beside, I improved my management and leadership skills, learned to take the responsibility and shared the joy of serving the outside community with other people. Since then ICHR encountered numerous difficulties, but matured in the process of overcoming them.

So put simply...

The ICHR-CAS originated from the founder's experience in doing SA activities and the many inspiring moments created by club members together.