By Xiao Wu, video by Xingchen Yue, iChongqing

Chongqing - What can you expect when Chongqing's classic folk culture meets a group of Chinese-culture foreign enthusiasts?

March 30^th witnessed the launch of the Foreigner@Chongqing Experience Cultural Immersion with Folk Culture 2019 activity in Ba’nan District Mudonghe Street, jointly held by Publicity Department of Chongqing Municipal Committee, Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, Ba'nan District Committee of the CPC, People’s Government of Ba’nan District. From this month till December, foreign visitors will have cultural immersion with classic folk culture in Chongqing.

The grand launching ceremony

During the launching ceremony, a series performance of the classic folk culture was put on stage. Mudong folk song, Jielong wind, and percussion instruments playing, and Jiang Family Dragon Dance pushed the ceremony to new extremes. The participation of foreign learners made the performances even more impressive.

Folk culture performance at the launching ceremony.

Then, 122 visitors from the U.K., France, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Pakistan met their Chinese masters of folk culture. After the traditional master and apprentice acknowledging ceremony, the foreign apprentice started their amazing journey into Chinese culture .

The Master and Apprentice Acknowledging Ceremony.

At the same time, the Folk Culture Market in Mudonghe Street was also launched. On the same day, a number of international intangible cultural heritages such as Ba’nan Jielong wind and percussion instruments playing and Mudong folk songs were displayed against the background of the unique ancient architectural complex in Mudonghe Street, Ba’nan District. The market specially displayed 50 representative intangible cultural heritage projects from 38 districts and counties such as Liangping bamboo curtain and Chongqing Comics, 50 outstanding traditional  Craftsmanship projects.

Foreign visitors showed their calligraphy work.

How to sign up for the cultural immersion event

Since the launch of the sign-up for the Foreigner@Chongqing Experience Cultural Immersion with Folk Culture 2019 foreigners showed great enthusiasm about the event. Over 200 foreigners registered in less than one week. It provides a platform for not only promoting traditional intangible cultural heritage and craftsmanship but also allowing foreigners to get more cultural immersion with Chongqing’s traditional culture.

Till December, Ba’nan District will organize foreign learners to experience the folk culture in its original place, for example, the flour dough modeling Xiliutuo Town, Yudong irregular embroidery. This enables the foreign learners to have a comprehensive input of the folk culture and the environment that gave birth to it.

Ba’nan District will continue to set up a free classic folk culture learning platform, which is open to international intangible cultural heritage enthusiasts. Foreign visitors interested can sign up and consult through mailbox 1227740996@qq.com (023-62857627). We warmly welcome foreign visitors in Chongqing to come to Ba’nan to experience Chongqing's unique folk culture and fall in love with Chinese traditional culture.