Tai'an launched an event to celebrate the 2023 Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, which fell on June 10 this year.

More than 30 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items were showcased on-site, including pastel filigree and paper-cutting, displaying the charm of the nation's ICH.

Ma Zhonghua, 58, from Dongping county is a sixth-generation inheritor of the ICH item pastel filigree and Maliang pressed flower. He has been studying the former craft for more than 30 years.

Pastel filigree, one of China's ICH items, showcases excellent craftsmanship. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

According to his introduction, the pastel filigree craft originated from Beijing's cloisonné handmade technique during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912). In Ma's works, lotus flowers, carp and other images are mostly found, all representative elements of Dongping Lake, bound together with his own innovations.

"Currently, our products are being sold on Amazon to overseas markets. In the future, we hope to preserve and improve this technique through continued inheritance and innovation, and showcase the wonderful traditional intangible cultural heritage of our country to the world," said Ma.

Craftsmen hold a work of Chinese paper-cutting and explain its content to visitors. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

Organizing an ICH shopping festival is also a significant step towards inheriting and advancing traditional Chinese culture.

To date, Tai'an is home to one item recognized on the UNESCO Representative List of the ICH of Humanity, 12 items on the national list, 59 provincial-level items, and 586 on the city level. There are also four national-level, 20 provincial-level, and 187 city-level inheritors.