Chongqing - China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo will be held in the country’s west for the first time when Chongqing hosts the ninth edition from November 6 to 10, organizers said on October 23.
The poster of the 9th China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo.
More than 800 heritage items from China’s 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps will be shown at the Chongqing International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nan’an District. All exhibitions and performances are free.
The biennial China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and has been held eight times. Its aim is to show how traditional crafts, performing arts, food and medicine can become part of everyday modern life.
Performers stage a folk heritage show in Chongqing Wansheng to celebrate the Lantern Festival. (Photo/Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development)
Xing Jun, a senior official with the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, said bringing the event to western China would give the region’s heritage a national stage. He added that it would help Chongqing and neighboring Sichuan province jointly promote their shared Bashu cultural heritage.
Four themed exhibitions
Beyond provincial pavilions, the expo will feature four themed exhibitions. A fashion section will include heritage-based haute couture that has appeared at international fashion weeks. A food section will bring together 118 culinary heritage items. A traditional medicine section will combine displays of medicinal herbs with free consultations in traditional Chinese medicine. A technology section will show how digital tools are used to record and present heritage.
Craftspeople will work on site, demonstrating skills such as Dazu stone carving, Shu embroidery, Chaozhou wood carving and woodblock New Year prints. More than 100 heritage foods will be made and sold on site, including Rongchang braised goose, Chaozhou beef balls and Macao dragon’s beard candy, said Hu Yan, deputy director of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Performers sing Chuanjiang boatmen’s work songs. (Photo/Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development)
Twelve performances from Nov 6 to 9 will feature traditional music, dance, opera and storytelling. The lineup includes Xinjiang Uygur Muqam, the farmers’ dance of the Korean ethnic group, Fujian puppetry and Suzhou Pingtan, along with the Chuanjiang Haozi of Chongqing.
Citywide events
Chongqing will stage more than 30 related events across the city. On the evening of Nov 6, an “Intangible Cultural Heritage Night” show at Danzishi Square will present 14 heritage performances from across China, followed by a traditional costume show and a drone light show. On the morning of Nov 7, inheritors of eight tai chi styles will lead 600 martial arts enthusiasts in a performance at Chaotianmen Square. Tai chi is on UNESCO’s list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Chongqing itself is bringing 139 heritage items to the expo, including Sichuan opera, Shu embroidery and Rongchang folding fans.
Organizers are also targeting younger audiences. A volunteer team of more than 100 guides will include 20 primary and secondary school students who will explain exhibits from a young person’s perspective.
“People can share in the achievements of heritage protection right on their doorstep,” Hu said.
Nan’an district, home to the main venue, will present 10 local heritage items at the expo. The district will also offer three themed routes for visitors: one for local food such as hotpot and traditional desserts, one for crafts such as pottery and dough figurines, and one for traditional medicine and medicinal cuisine, said Yan Bin, deputy head of the district.
Performers stage the Tongliang dragon dance. (Photo/Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development)
The city is using the expo to boost year-end spending. Twelve districts and counties will issue vouchers for shopping, dining and hotels, and visitors can get discounts at major scenic sites, hotels and river cruises, said Sun Xiyong, deputy director of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce. Heritage products will also be sold through livestreams tied to the “Double 11” shopping festival on Nov 11.
“Come to Chongqing to visit the expo and tour the city,” Sun said.
Beyond the expo
For Chongqing, the expo builds on several years of heritage work. The city has set up its first national-level cultural ecology protection zone, covering the Tujia and Miao cultures of the Wuling Mountains in the southeast of the municipality. It has also added nine national-level heritage items and 15 national-level heritage inheritors, and built 209 heritage workshops, Xing said.
He said Chongqing would use the expo as a springboard for the next stage of that work. Under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), the city plans to carry out a new heritage census, build a citywide heritage database and push, together with Sichuan, for a national-level Bashu cultural ecology protection zone. The goal, he said, is to raise the profile of Chongqing’s heritage and draw more people to protect and enjoy it.