What is Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)? Behind a skill, a traditional opera, or a folk custom lies vibrant life—a cultural ecosystem rooted in the aesthetics of daily living.

On June 3, 2025, the China Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka welcomed Anhui Day, featuring captivating intangible cultural heritage performances such as Huangmei Opera and Flower Drum Lantern, both deeply emblematic of Anhui's regional culture. Meanwhile, traditional crafts like Keemun black tea making, Huizhou inkstick production, Huizhou bamboo carving, and Wuhu iron painting drew lingering admiration from visitors.  

Earlier, on March 17, Huangshan's Keemun black tea and Guangde's Mingde bamboo & wood ICH workshop were included in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's recommended list for the second batch of "Exemplary ICH Workshop Cases." These workshops preserve traditional craftsmanship by building on local intangible cultural heritage practices while also functioning as businesses that create jobs, empowering communities to achieve self-sufficiency.  

This pioneering initiative—venturing overseas, embracing innovation, and breaking boundaries—has infused new vitality and inspiration into the preservation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). It unlocks fresh opportunities and expands the horizons for intangible cultural heritage's cultural and economic value. In Anhui Province, the vast array of representative intangible cultural heritage projects is making breakthroughs in skill transmission, industrial upgrading, and brand promotion, riding the wave of China's rising cultural trend. 

Intangible cultural heritage encompasses diverse categories, including traditional crafts, traditional operas, traditional medicine, folk literature, and customs. Among this rich heritage, our province stands out for its traditional craftsmanship, recognized as one of China's five pilot provinces for traditional artisanal certification by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.   

According to reports, the first season of Anhui's 2025 "Colorful Seasons" Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Carnival showcased nearly 10,000 intangible cultural heritage works for exhibition and sale. The event also featured 150 special promotional products for the "ICH New Year Shopping Month" and launched 12 premium Anhui-themed intangible cultural heritage tourism routes. To further strengthen these efforts, Anhui Province has formulated and implemented the "Implementation Plan for Promoting the In-Depth Integration of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Tourism". These new measures have not only consolidated the foundation of intangible cultural heritage preservation but also enhanced its practical application. Tourism offerings continue to evolve, with activities such as hands-on traditional craft workshops, purchasing ICH-inspired cultural and creative products, and visiting ICH-themed towns and districts gaining popularity. These innovations provide visitors with rich and unique travel experiences while opening new avenues for the preservation and transmission of intangible cultural heritage.  

Source: Anhui Daily