A series of celebrations to mark China's Cultural and Natural Heritage Day will be held in Changde's Hejie (river street) between June 1 and 3, 2024.

During the event, Hejie will serve as the gathering place for 128 intangible cultural heritage items and over 320 inheritors. Together, they will stage a grand showcase of cultural heritages that embody unique regional characteristics. This event will provide an immersive experience for residents and tourists, allowing them to appreciate, taste, and even shop for intangible cultural heritage items.

The poster of the Hunan celebrations to mark China's Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. (Photo/Changde Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Television, Radio, and Sports)

The opening ceremony will be held at the Chunqiu Square in Hejie on the afternoon of June 1. Various folk performances will be staged along the Chuanzi River, including Changde silk string, Changde gaoqiang opera, Lishui River Boatmen Haozi (Labor Songs), Changde flower-drum opera, drum dance, Tujia Daliuzi (Baishou dance accompanied by the beating of gongs and drums), Wuwa folk songs of the Huayao people, Sangzhi folk songs, and Lanshan umbrella dance of the Yao people. 

During the three-day celebrations, a variety of traditional folk performances and China-chic shows will be staged one after another, such as gaoqiang opera, flower-drum opera, Jinhe opera, dragon lanterns, lion dance, stilt walking, Cailianchuan dance, and carrying a wedding sedan chair. The performance sites will span from Mayang Block to Chunqiu Square along Hejie, and visitors may interact with the performers and join the folk activities. They will immerse themselves in the rich and profound intangible culture heritages of Hunan and have a better understanding of Hunan's protection and innovative inheritance of these cultural treasures.

Beyond that, more than 30 intangible cultural heritage items from around the province will promote their specialty products. Nearly 50,000 traditional handmade crafts, time-honored brand products, and cultural creative goods will be displayed, including Huaihua's candied fruits, Shaoyang's Baoqing pyrography, Xiangtan's Shigu oil-paper umbrellas, Yueyang's filigree decorations, Loudi's Xiyan inkstones, Yiyang's Anhua polygonatum, Changsha's kernel carving, Zhangjiajie's Tujia brocade, Zhuzhou's Liling under-glaze colored porcelain, Hengyang's Yuxi oil-paper umbrellas, Chenzhou's silver ornaments, Xiangxi's Miao embroidery, and Yongzhou's folding fans.

As the host, Changde has specially prepared nearly 30 intangible cultural heritages for display, including Qianzhang bean curd sheets making skills, Jinshi traditional snack making skills, Lizhou medicated plasters techniques, Anxiang pot-stewed food, Wangyang fried dough twists, Huayanxi bamboo shoots processing techniques, filled chili peppers, Wuling snacks, Changde pot dishes, Taoyuan wood carvings, and Taoyuan embroidery.

Hunan's achievements in intangible cultural heritage protection will be presented via images, texts, and videos. New technologies will be adopted to demonstrate application of digital technologies in intangible cultural heritage protection, and promote Hunan's intangible cultural heritage brands in an all-round way.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunantoday