Conference celebrates China's rich heritage

Murong Street in Chaoyang city, Liaoning province, was bustling last weekend, with stalls selling a variety of traditional crafts and local specialties lining the street between two ancient pagodas at its northern and southern ends.

From baked flatbreads and paper-cutting to clay teapots and traditional musical instruments, the stalls offered a glimpse into China's rich intangible cultural heritage. A closer look at the goods, and a few words with vendors, revealed that many were inheritors of traditional crafts passed down through generations.

The 4th Annual Conference on Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding in China was held in Chaoyang from Oct 16 to 18. In addition to the fair, the event featured keynote speeches, a showcase of traditional dances from across the country, and a series of activities celebrating China's living cultural traditions.

The annual conference, launched in 2023, upholds the principle of staying close to the public, everyday life and economic development.

Wang Xiaofeng, president of the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Association, said the goal is to make the conference both a gathering for ICH inheritors and a festival for the public.

UNESCO included the conference among 91 major worldwide events for the first time, to mark the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage, helping bring China's efforts to preserve and promote its living traditions to a global audience.

The conference also unveiled several initiatives and publications, including the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Annual Conference Brand Value Assessment Report (2026) and the Blue Book on China's Intangible Cultural Heritage Communication 2026.

The organizers also announced their selection of inheritors for the 2026 National Young ICH Inheritors Support Program, along with progress on developing expressway services featuring Liaoning's intangible cultural heritage and using digital technologies to promote Chaoyang's local heritage.