The scene of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Exchange event

Recently, the Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting, Television and Tourism, and Chaozhou Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting, Television, Tourism and Sports hosted the 2023 Wenzhou-Chaozhou intangible cultural heritage exchange event in Guangji Building of the ancient city Chaozhou. At the event, lively puppet show captivated audience and won loud cheers. Wooden movable type printing showed the charm of texts and design.

Fifteen intangible cultural heritage(ICH) booths from Wenzhou and Chaozhou attracted visitors with exquisite handiworks. Nine ICHs from Wenzhou were exhibited, including Humanity-level ICHs (including traditional techniques of building roofed wooden arch bridge and wooden movable type printing), National-level ICHs (including hair embroidery, colored stone mosaic, Blue Jiaxie, Ou sculpture and Ou embroidery), and Provincial-level ICHs (including Ou kiln and Pingyang lacquerware). All these, together with those from Chaozhou, including Dawu Clay Sculpture, Straw Clip-art Paintings, Fengxi hand-drawn clay pot, Chaozhou lanterns, Chaozhou gold and silver chisel, and Chaozhou Gongfu tea making techniques, made the “ICH Market” very attractive to passers-by. Wenzhou String Puppet Show and Chaozhou Tiezhi Puppet Show, both of national-level ICH, were staged in turn, presenting special local culture.

Wenzhou’s ICH exchange has become a regular activity in recent years. Every time it can arouse great enthusiasm among local people, and inheritors can have an opportunity to communicate, and people can enjoy the derivative products and experience the exquisite art of ICHs. As famous national historical and cultural cities, Wenzhou and Chaozhou are rich in intangible cultural heritages. This event has further promoted their ICH exchanges and cultural prosperity.

During the three-day event, the inheritors of Wenzhou ICHs and the staff visited Guangji Bridge, Guangji Building, and Paifang (memorial gate) Street to appreciate the charm of the ancient city. And they successively visited the studio of the inheritor of Chaozhou woodcarving, Chaozhou colored porcelain firing technique and investigated the Chaozhou Yang Jianping Museum. They also visited the Chaozhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, Chaozhou Museum and Chaozhou Art Museum, and exchanged valuable experiences on the protection of ICHs with their staff.