Jinan expo to highlight richness of intangible cultural heritage

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, nearly 1,400 intangible cultural heritage workshops have been established in poverty-stricken areas in a bid to help lift people out of poverty. At the expo, visitors will get a glimpse at how these workshops contributed to the historic poverty alleviation campaign.

Tea is one of the representative products of China, a beacon in the country's trade and communication with the outside world. The expo will present intangible cultural heritage items related to tea, Chinese tea art, tea ceremonies and tea processing techniques, to show the herbal infusion's close connection to modern life and its function as a bridge of communication between China and the world.

So far, the State Council, China's cabinet, has released five lists that cover 1,557 national intangible cultural heritage items. More than 3,060 people have been officially acknowledged as the inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage. Now, China has 42 intangible cultural heritage items inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, the most of all countries.

"The expo will play an important role to promote fine traditional Chinese culture, boost the cultural and tourism industries, stimulate consumption, integrate culture and tourism and serve the country's social and economic development", said Wang Chenyang, director of Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.