Representatives of the first batch of Tai'an's ICH education practice bases, workshops, and units that were selected as national ICH and tourism development projects are awarded plaques at the launch ceremony of the 2023 ICH monthly event. [Photo/WeChat account: SDTXTA]

Tai'an kicked off the 2023 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) item monthly event at Dai Temple in Tai'an on Jan 14.

Representatives of the first batch of Tai'an's ICH education practice bases, workshops, and units that were selected as national ICH and tourism development projects were awarded plaques at the launch ceremony.

Zhao Ying, who is the fifth-generation inheritor of Tai'an ICH item Taishan paper-cutting, was very glad to receive the plaque, which symbolized a step forward in her cultural career.

The event includes exhibitions, performances and sales of Tai'an's 30 ICH items such as Taishan shadow puppetry, Taishan paper-cutting, and traditional clay whistles, all of which immerse visitors in the rich festive atmosphere created by the integration of ICHs and folk culture.

Tai'an is currently home to 12 national-level ICH items, 59 provincial-level ICH items, and 489 municipal-level items with four, 20, and 187 national-level, provincial-level, and municipal-level ICH inheritors, respectively.

An artist showcases how to blow a clay whistle at the 2023 ICH monthly event in Tai'an. [Photo/WeChat account: SDTXTA]

Zhao Ying, fifth-generation inheritor of Taishan paper-cutting, introduces her paper-cutting artworks consisting of elements of the Year of the Rabbit at the 2023 ICH monthly event in Tai'an. [Photo/WeChat account: SDTXTA]