An intangible cultural heritage (ICH)-themed event kicked off in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Tuesday to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 29.
The event featured nearly 100 types of intangible cultural heritage crafts, cultural creations, and traditional foods from across the country. "I feel an increasingly strong festive atmosphere here, and I hope friends from all over the country will come to Xi'an. Welcome to Xi'an!" said Cheng Lanxin, a local resident.
"Welcome to Xi 'an to experience our splendid traditional culture," said Duan Weigang, an intangible cultural heritage inheritor.
The 52-day-long cultural fair will introduce 173 special New Year customs activities, including the Chang'an Lantern Festival and cultural research programs. These efforts aim to inherit and promote excellent traditional Chinese culture, stimulate consumption, and offer another festive cultural tourism feast full of Xi'an characteristics for residents, domestic and international tourists.
"We add traditional Chinese symbols of auspiciousness, good luck, fortune, emolument, longevity, happiness to our paintings, combining them with modern cartoons to create something that appeals to both refined and popular tastes. In this painting, the seven colors -- red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple -- represent sunshine and passion. This serves as a way for everyone to engage closely with the inheritance of our national culture," said Li Haihong, fourth generation inheritor of intangible cultural heritage cotton batting painting.
The fair set up 90 booths, showcasing a total of 110 representative projects. In the paper cutting area, representative inheritor Tu Yonghong from Xi'an presented a set of paper-cutting related to New Year customs.
"Paper cutting is essential to the festive atmosphere. We should attract more young people and help them to understand it and carry on the tradition," said Tu.
Ancient city Xi'an holds cultural event for Chinese New Year
