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Jin Mingchun’s (金明春) experience offers a route from participating in performance to passing on knowledge. A China Youth Net interview republished in 2019 records that he joined an amateur publicity troupe in 1977 and later learned xiangmao dance (象帽舞) from folk artist Li Minghao (李明浩). This article draws on published reporting and a personal record; it is not our own interview.
A performance hat raises practical questions
The report recounts Jin’s recollections of changes to his props: he used hat bodies made from materials including pasted paper and fibreglass before turning to resin. The effects of sweat on paper props and the appearance of fibreglass hats under stage lighting informed his choices. This describes decisions within one person’s practice, not a universal timeline of materials for all xiangmao hats.
When looking at a performance object, ask separately what it is made from, how it is used and where it is performed with. Two similar-looking hats need not share a date or purpose. If a description gives only a material name, do not add a weight, service life or the dancer’s opinion. Those require records for the particular object.
From learning movements to organising learning
The same report describes Jin’s work through training bases and sessions for core participants. It encourages looking beyond a performer’s individual stage skills to how experience is shared with others.
Look for three details in a teaching account: who teaches, who learns and what is taught. Participant or training-base totals alone cannot establish what each learner has learned; a showcase cannot stand for the whole learning process. This article does not adopt the report’s participant totals and has not observed a class. Historical reporting is not evidence of current enrolment, fees or booking arrangements.
What do the personal and project records tell you?
The official personal profile lists Jin as a second-batch national representative bearer, personal reference 02-0382. His associated practice is Chaoxianzu nongyuewu (xiangmao dance), 朝鲜族农乐舞（象帽舞）, project number Ⅲ-24, with Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, as the submitting area.
The personal reference identifies the individual’s record; the project number locates the cultural practice. Neither proves that he made a particular hat or teaches a particular course. For performance context, read the Yanbian xiangmao guide; to check recognition terms, use the heritage recognition guide. We have no commercial relationship with the person or organisations discussed and have not verified current teaching or performance arrangements.