Intangible cultural heritage projects shine in northern Chinese ancient town

On June 8, Yangliuqing, an ancient town with a history of over 1,000 years in north China's Tianjin Municipality, embraced a feast of intangible cultural heritage.

To mark the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day which falls on June 10 this year, a grand event was held in the town, featuring a display of the-Great-Canal-related intangible cultural heritage projects, according to the The Publicity Department of Xiqing District.

The five-day event will see the display of nearly 100 intangible cultural heritage projects from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, which are provincial-level regions along the Great Canal spanning from east to north China.

In front of the West Lake silk umbrella booth, visitors dressed in Hanfu attire, a traditional style of clothing worn by the Han people, swarm to take photos with the sophisticated umbrellas. Exquisite silk umbrellas, gorgeous ancient costume, delicate makeup and the unique buildings of the ancient town constitute a moving picture of Chinese-style beauty.

"The West Lake silk umbrella is a national intangible cultural heritage project. It uses bamboo as the bone and silk as the surface, and the 18 main production processes are all handmade," said Song Zhiming, representative inheritor of the making techniques of the delicate umbrella. "There are more than 100 detailed steps, and the material selection is very exquisite. Only the unique silk and light bamboo in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou area is qualified."

As one of the serial activities of the Cultural Tourism Year of Xiqing District, where Yangliuqing is located, the exhibition also sets up a cultural market, showcasing the intangible cultural heritage exhibits, food, cultural innovative products of various provinces and cities.

In addition, the activity has restored some of the scenes of the ancient water and land dock and warehouse culture, introducing elements of the Grand Canal and coastal style into the town.

"We have launched six intangible heritage treasure museums featuring the culture of places along the Great Canal, set up multiple game-play stations, organized experience courses, and Hanfu attire parades. All these will help immerse visitors in the cultural charm of the Great Canal," said a senior official with Xiqing District's culture and tourism bureau.

Source: The Publicity Department of Xiqing District