Intangible cultural heritage meets subway: a showcase of Guangzhou Metro Line 11's cultural highligh

摘要：Guangzhou's inaugural subway loop, Line 11, is poised to begin its initial operations at 2:00 PM on December 28th. This landmark l

Guangzhou's inaugural subway loop, Line 11, is poised to begin its initial operations at 2:00 PM on December 28th. This landmark line, traversing five central districts of Guangzhou within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, has designated one station from each district—Yuexiu, Tianhe, Haizhu, Liwan, and Baiyun—as focal points for showcasing intangible cultural heritage. These stations, including Guangzhou East Railway Station, Guangzhou Railway Station, Fangcun Station, Pazhou Station, and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Station, have been designed to integrate Cantonese opera, embroidery, porcelain, carving, lion dance and traditional Chinese medicine, highlighting the rich Lingnan cultural heritage.

Fangcun Station on Line 11

The grand backdrop at Pazhou Station, composed of five LED multimedia screens

A glimpse into Guangzhou's intangible cultural crafts such as Cantonese porcelain, embroidery, carving, and Lion Dance heads on Line 11 (Courtesy of the Interviewee)

Guangzhou Railway Station is dedicated to the art of Cantonese porcelain, while Fangcun Station's concourse windows are adorned with displays of Cantonese embroidery and carving, infusing the space with the essence of Lingnan culture. Besides, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Station and Guangzhou East Railway Station have embraced Cantonese opera and traditional Chinese medicine in their design, respectively. These stations offer an immersive cultural experience and visual feast to commuters through a mix of cultural display windows, art exhibition walls, and LED multimedia screens.

The integration of intangible cultural heritage elements into the entrance and exit signs at Fangcun Station on Line 11 (Photo by Yangcheng Evening News)

Beyond the five key cultural stations, the remaining 24 newly constructed stations also embrace intangible cultural heritage elements in their design. The number "11" serves as a light cultural totem that runs throughout Line 11.

The number "11" as a cultural totem throughout Line 11 (Photo by Yangcheng Evening News)

Source: Lingnan on the Cloud

“非遗+地铁”来啦！盘点广州地铁11号线非遗亮点

广州首条地铁环线11号线于12月28日14时正式开通初期运营。这条贯穿广州5个中心区的粤港澳大湾区首条地铁大环线，分别从越秀、天河、海珠、荔湾、白云5个区各选取1个站点作为非遗重点站，即广州东站、广州火车站、芳村站、琶洲站、中医药大学站，选取粤剧、广绣、广彩瓷、广东醒狮、广雕、传统医药等极具岭南特色的非遗项目与重点站进行融合设计，以地铁站作为城市文化的展示窗口。