A selection of Suzhou’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items was showcased at the 9th China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo in Chongqing, southwest China. Held from Nov. 6 to 10 and hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the expo brought together more than 890 ICH items and over 930 inheritors from across the country.
Suzhou’s exhibits included Taohuawu woodblock New Year prints, Song brocade weaving techniques, Suzhou embroidery, Kunqu Opera, and Suzhou Pingtan. Among them, Song brocade weaving, a representative part of “Sericulture and Silk Craftsmanship of China”, and Kunqu Opera are both inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Taohuawu woodblock New Year prints, Suzhou embroidery, and Suzhou Pingtan are all national representative ICH items.
The expo also featured an exhibition on achievements in the systematic protection of ICH in the new era, showcasing progress in conserving representative ICH items, training ICH inheritors, and developing ICH workshops.
