The first Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Expo opened on the evening of the 3rd by the Jinghang Heart by the Grand Canal in Yangzhou, with dazzling lights showcasing the unique charm of the millennia-old canal. The Grand Canal is not just a waterway connecting north and south, but also a historical river spanning over 2,500 years and an important human cultural heritage. This "Canal Expo" was co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the Jiangsu Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the People's Government of Yangzhou City. Its theme, "Integration · Innovation · Sharing," aims to promote the integrated development of culture and tourism.
On the 4th, the intangible cultural heritage exhibition of the Canal Expo opened to visitors. This event was organized by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Yangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism, with the specific design and implementation of nearly 3,800 square meters of intangible cultural heritage displays undertaken by Climbing Vine Technology Co., Ltd. The exhibition offers a comprehensive experience of "seeing, listening, and integrating" through a garden-style tour approach, allowing the public to connect more closely with intangible cultural heritage and resonate with traditional culture while engaging with modern life.
Garden architectural style highlights regional cultural characteristics
The overall display style draws inspiration from the architecture of Yangzhou gardens, fully showcasing the city’s regional and cultural identity as a garden city. "During the exhibition setup, we had to consider the functional attributes of multiple areas. A total of over a hundred intangible cultural heritage projects are on display, divided into four major sections: 'Garden and Horticulture,' 'Masters and Artisans,' 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Creative Products,' and 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Experiences.' By combining audience perception and experience, we conducted in-depth planning to achieve a 'scene at every step, a changing view with every move.' This garden-style tour makes the visiting process more like appreciating the scenery along the way," said a curator from the Cultural and Creative Center of Climbing Vine Technology during the introduction.
On-site, many of the intangible cultural heritage exhibition settings have been meticulously crafted and designed, with even the lighting sources carefully considered to combine natural architectural lighting with display lighting. This not only achieves overall green energy efficiency but also enhances the presentation of intangible cultural heritage projects through the rendering of different light halos.
"Masters and Artisans" gather in Yangzhou, the "intangible cultural heritage time" of the Canal Expo
At the intangible cultural heritage exhibition, the "Masters and Artisans" section, which is the most popular, is further divided into nine exhibition areas: Timeless Echoes, Woodblock Antiquity, Ingenious Paper-cutting and Carving, Weaving, Embroidery, and Printing, Paintings Through the Years, Sculpting Essence, Spring of Ceramics, Workshop Treasures, and Literary Gathering. It showcases the essence of master artisans and traditional crafts from 38 cities along the Grand Canal cultural belt, highlighting the spirit of world-class, national, and provincial-level traditional arts and crafts. Many of these exhibition areas also feature "national treasure-level" intangible cultural heritage inheritors on-site.
Zhang Xiufang, national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor and master paper-cut artist
"We participate in many exhibitions and events, but this is the first Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Expo. Many masters along the canal are here exhibiting. Although our art forms and techniques differ, such exchange opportunities have also given us new inspiration," said Zhang Xiufang, national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor and master paper-cut artist. The Grand Canal not only connects north and south and surrounding regions spatially, but to some extent, it even breaks the boundaries of time and space, allowing deeper cultural integration between the north and south, further promoting cultural fusion, creativity, inheritance, and development.
Combining "observation" and "experience" to get closer to intangible cultural heritage
It is understood that this intangible cultural heritage exhibition has put great effort into the visitor experience. Booths such as Huishan clay figurines, Yangzhou rice-paper flowers, and Fengxian sugar-figure blowing all offer hands-on experience activities, allowing visitors to feel the "intangible cultural heritage at their fingertips" by trying it themselves. "My child’s school offers intangible cultural heritage experience classes. During this May Day holiday in Yangzhou, we didn’t expect to see so many intangible cultural heritage projects at the Canal Expo. I even tried painting a Peking opera facial mask just now," said Ms. Zhang from Nanjing, who visited the exhibition with her family of three. She noted that the resurgence of traditional culture has led to more and more young people falling in love with intangible cultural heritage.
In addition, to further stimulate visitors' "curiosity" about understanding intangible cultural heritage, the curators specially designed intangible cultural heritage-themed tour tickets. Visitors can get stamps at each exhibition area and receive different souvenirs after the visit with the ticket, achieving both the initiative of learning about intangible cultural heritage and the fun of the tour. The ticket design is exquisite, featuring images and stamp styles of various intangible cultural heritage projects, making it of extraordinary collectible and commemorative value.
Minister visits, creative design of Canal Expo intangible cultural heritage exhibition highly praised
The successful hosting of this Canal Expo has garnered high attention from all sectors of society. On the morning of the 6th, Luo Shugang, Secretary of the Party Group and Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, visited the site accompanied by Wang Yanwen, Standing Committee Member of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee and Minister of Propaganda, Yu [Name], Vice Mayor of Yangzhou City, and Liu [Name], Director of the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism. Luo inspected the intangible cultural heritage exhibition area and exchanged views with intangible cultural heritage inheritors. Luo Shugang spoke highly of the creative design of the intangible cultural heritage exhibition area and the exhibition achievements of the intangible cultural heritage projects.
Luo Shugang, Secretary of the Party Group and Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, watches an intangible cultural heritage performance on-site
Luo Shugang, Secretary of the Party Group and Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has a cordial exchange with intangible cultural heritage inheritors on-site
Luo Shugang, Secretary of the Party Group and Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Wang Yanwen, Standing Committee Member of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee and Minister of Propaganda, Yu [Name], Vice Mayor of Yangzhou City, and intangible cultural heritage inheritors exchange views on-site
The Grand Canal — a flowing, living heritage, is a historical and cultural relic that connects cities along its banks. The intangible cultural heritage exhibition of the first Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Expo hopes to awaken the intangible cultural heritage sentiment in more people. It aims to ensure that the profound cultural heritage and rich canal legacy continue to be inherited and developed through the reform and innovation of the people of Jiangsu, truly transforming the "heritage" of human wisdom and culture into invaluable "wealth" to be passed down forever.