CIIE hailed for showing ancient Chinese crafts

Intangible cultural heritage has been acclaimed a highlight of the third China International Import Expo, held from Nov 5-10 in Shanghai, which displayed the country's diverse culture and promoted people-to-people exchanges.

In the pavilion of Jiangsu province, traditional crafts such as silk weaving and Song brocade were exhibited. Yao Laiying, who is over 60, displayed traditional techniques of cocoon stripping, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Yao soaked a silkworm cocoon in water and pulled it into a thin strip. The process is an important part of sericulture and silk craftsmanship, which was added to the UNESCO representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2009. The unreeled strip is a raw material for making silk quilts and jackets.

A business representative said that through the exhibition, his company wanted more people to learn about the traditional handicraft and inherit the precious technique.

Operating a wooden machine, the design of which dates back more than 1,000 years, a craftsman displayed how Song brocade is woven. Many visitors bought modern clothes, handbags and scarves featuring the brocade in the pavilion.

Wu Jianhua, president of Suzhou Saintjoy Silk Technical Culture, said that Song brocade is both pretty and practical. Previously, it could only be used by royal and noble families. The company uses it to make items of daily use, which are proving popular in the market.

Lamps and booklets featuring ancient papermaking techniques helped to demonstrate the local culture of Shiqiao village in Guizhou province. They were made by teachers and students from a school in Shanghai's Xuhui district.

The school sent people to the village to learn papermaking techniques and built a 200-square-meter experience center in Shanghai in 2016.

The center offers regular projects for members of the public to try the techniques and helps pass on the craft through community activities targeting teenagers and through elder education.

Zhang Liming, office director at the Shanghai intangible cultural heritage protection center, said due to economic and social development levels, the protection of and exchanges in many quality cultural resources from Guizhou have been affected.

He hopes the exhibition on an open platform like the expo can aid inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.

Fujian province showcased 16 intangible cultural heritage items at the expo, such as stone carvings of Shoushan, costumes of the She ethnic group and handmade stained glass. Several foreign guests were impressed by the stone carvings and rubbings made by Feng Wei, a provincial-level inheritor, Fuzhou Evening News reported.

Wu Meiying and Feng Min, experts of Shoushan stones, introduced varieties of stone to visitors and said that many people came to watch Shoushan stone carving during the expo. Nearly 100 rubbings they prepared every day were quickly claimed.

A 70-sq-m reception hall in the expo's media center displayed more than 40 intangible cultural heritage items with Shanghai characteristics. A staff member from the hall said they want to help visitors learn about the heritage items and fall in love with traditional Chinese culture.

Shandong province made an innovative move at the expo. Its time-honored brands and intangible cultural heritage experience hall, which covers an area of 774 sq m, would rent the space for one year.

Wei Wensheng, a representative from the Shandong hall, said: "At the last expo, many time-honored companies originally came for exhibition and communication, and their intangible cultural heritage products sold well, which gave them confidence about continuing to attend the expo.

"On the other hand, we are optimistic about the Yangtze River Delta market and expect more people to have a better understanding of China via the heritage."

It is significant that a long-term display has been set up to showcase intangible cultural heritage at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) for the first time, insiders said.