Chongqing- On June 21, 2020, the sixth day trip of ‘Laowai @Chongqing intangible cultural heritage and rural experiences’ came to Shilong Town, in the beautiful surroundings of Banan District.

Nine overseas guests from Ethiopia, Britain, and South Korea began with a visit to the Zhou Family Woodworks to learn about the intricately hand-carved furniture and ornaments, which are listed as municipal-level intangible cultural heritage.

The carving techniques are used mainly to produce circular, relief, and openwork carvings. Artisans pay great attention to transition, pattern, dimension, and undulation to produce the most vivid natural representation. The raw materials used at the Zhou Family Woodworks is mainly camphor, cypress, ebony, Chinese fir, and phoebe chinensis.

‘It's fascinating to see how such masterpieces are crafted from plain wood,’ Commented Hwa Jaehyeon from South Korea as he stopped by the quartet of wood carvings named ‘Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.’ When he learned this is part of China's legacy of intangible culture, he immediately took out his mobile phone to take a photo, ‘This is fantastic! I love Chinese art!’

At the go-kart track in Zhonglun Village, Shilong Town, the overseas guests experienced speed and thrills along the jungle-like dirt tracks. ‘It's unbelievable fun! I want to do another lap!’ Commented one participant. By the end of the event, many people departed for the next attraction itching for more time on the karts.

In the spectacular ‘Lightsaber’ Blueberry Orchard, countless batches of dark blue fruit hang from the branches, covered in a clear white frost that makes people salivate at first glance. While the foreign guests carefully picked blueberries as they squatted by the trees. Later, everyone wore sweet smiles as they savored the enticingly sweet flavor of fresh blueberries.

‘The blueberries here are not only large in size and sweet in taste but more importantly, they are so fresh!’ Commented British friend Shi Kailun (His Chinese name), who stayed in the blueberry garden for a long time. He added that he enjoys this kind of rural tourism very much. You can breathe fresh air and experience the leisurely pace of life amongst the rural surroundings, which makes people feel content at heart.

As midsummer gradually approaches, hydrangeas ushered in a brilliant period of bloom. The hydrangea base in Baishu Village, Shilong Town has now become a sea of ​​flowers. The romantic, idyllic scene of hydrangea flowers stretches for more than 400 acres for the visual pleasure of citizens and tourists. The overseas friends admired the beautiful hydrangea flowers at close distance and took photographs to capture the special moment, as they immersed themselves in the atmosphere of joy and laughter.

Upcoming events from Laowai @Chongqing

Below are the proposed dates and locations of upcoming events themed on intangible cultural heritage and rural traditions. There are 20 places available for foreign guests in each event and are free of charge. Overseas residents interested in attending one or more events may contact Mr. He Liujin at bntqw@126.com, or by telephone 66231839 (English available).

June 24th – Fengsheng Town and Shuanghekou Town

July 4th – Tianxingsi Town and Jiangjie Town

July 11th – Huimin Area and South Hot Spring Area

July 18th – Lijiatuo Area and Maliuzui Town

July 25th – Longzhouwan Area and Yudong Area