Watch · Make
Wuxi · Jiangsu
Huishan Clay Figures
A little clay. A world of character. Huishan’s colourful figures bring auspicious symbols and theatrical stories into the palm of your hand.
LIVING HERITAGEExperience China’s
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Meet a different China through the things people make, the stories they perform and the traditions they keep alive.
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Watch a tradition unfold, try a new skill or follow a flavour to its roots. Choose a starting point for your own journey.
46 cultural encounters
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Watch · Make
Dali · Yunnan
Bai Tie-Dye
Fold, tie, dye — then unfold the surprise. In Dali’s Bai communities, blue-and-white cloth carries a living language of pattern.
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Suzhou · Jiangsu
Kunqu Opera
A sleeve, a glance, a line of song. Kunqu tells its stories through lyrical music and wonderfully precise movement.
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Hangzhou · Zhejiang
West Lake Longjing Tea
Follow a cup of tea back to the hills. Longjing connects Hangzhou’s tea landscape with the skilled hands that shape its leaves.
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Suzhou · Jiangsu
Suzhou Silk Embroidery
Images made one thread at a time. Fine silk stitches and subtle changes of colour invite you to slow down and look closer.
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Beijing
Beijing Cloisonné
Colour held within fine wire. Discover the patient craft behind Beijing’s richly decorated enamel vessels and ornaments.
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Luoyang · Henan
Luoyang Sancai Ceramics
Glazes that flow into colour. Luoyang’s Tang-style sancai tradition connects familiar museum forms with a continuing craft.
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Zhangjiajie · Hunan
Tujia Brocade · Xilankapu
Beyond the sandstone peaks, another world of pattern. Xilankapu offers a colourful introduction to Tujia textile traditions.
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Beijing
Peking Opera
Singing, movement and martial arts combine with vivid costumes and symbolic make-up. An introduction to its characters and gestures offers a way into Peking opera's stories.
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Nanxiang · Shanghai
Nanxiang Soup Dumplings
Thin wrappers, careful pleats and a savoury filling define Nanxiang's soup dumplings. The making process offers a close look at one of Shanghai's distinctive food traditions.
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Yixing · Jiangsu
Yixing Zisha Teapots
In Yixing, specialist tools and local clay shape vessels made for tea. Hand-building reveals how a teapot's body, lid and surface come together.
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Nanjing · Jiangsu
Nanjing Yunjin Brocade
A large wooden loom and the coordination of two weavers lie behind Nanjing's richly patterned brocade. Watching the process reveals the work hidden inside the finished silk.
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Nanjing · Jiangsu
Qinhuai Lantern Traditions
Around the Lunar New Year, Qinhuai's lantern traditions turn evening walks into a celebration of light and local life. The displays form part of a seasonal festival culture.
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Jingshan, Hangzhou · Zhejiang
Jingshan Tea & Chan Culture
At Jingshan, tea is connected with a tradition of monastic hospitality. Learning about its ceremonial sequence opens a window onto the relationship between tea and Chan culture.
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Huangshan · Anhui
Huizhou Inksticks
Before a brush meets paper, there is the craft of making ink. Huizhou inksticks connect the material world of the workshop with the visual traditions of Chinese writing.
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Shexian, Huangshan · Anhui
She Inkstones
The texture of the stone guides the design of a She inkstone. Carving and polishing turn a natural material into an object used for grinding ink and appreciated for its form.
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Jingdezhen · Jiangxi
Jingdezhen Porcelain
Shaping, trimming, decorating and firing each contribute to Jingdezhen's porcelain tradition. Following these stages gives familiar blue-and-white surfaces a deeper material story.
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Qianshan, Shangrao · Jiangxi
Liansi Bamboo Paper
Bamboo and skilled handwork lie behind Liansi paper from Qianshan. The workshop process reveals the time and care contained in a seemingly simple sheet.
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Pingyao · Shanxi
Pingyao Polished Lacquer
Layered lacquer, decoration and hand polishing create Pingyao's distinctive lustre. The craft connects small decorative objects with the furnishings of historic homes.
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Xi’an · Shaanxi
Xi’an Drum Music
Wind instruments and percussion meet in Xi'an's traditional ensemble music. An introduction to the instruments and performance setting helps visitors hear more than rhythm alone.
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Huazhou, Weinan · Shaanxi
Huaxian Shadow Puppetry
Detailed figures become characters when light reaches the screen. Huaxian shadow theatre brings together craft, music and the puppeteer's precise movements.
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Fengxiang, Baoji · Shaanxi
Fengxiang Clay Figures
Bright painted patterns give Fengxiang's clay figures their character. The craft offers a colourful introduction to the folk imagery of western Guanzhong.
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Lanzhou · Gansu
Lanzhou Taiping Drums
Large drums and coordinated movement give Lanzhou's Taiping drum tradition a strong visual presence. It is an energetic way to encounter local performance culture.
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Dunhuang · Gansu
Dunhuang Quzi Opera
Beyond the cave paintings, Dunhuang has its own local theatre tradition. Quzi opera brings folk stories to life through regional melodies, dialect and performance.
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Chengdu · Sichuan
Chengdu Shu Brocade
Pattern design and skilled weaving lie behind Chengdu's Shu brocade. The loom offers a different view of the city through silk, colour and the coordination of its makers.
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Rongchang, Chongqing
Rongchang Pottery
Local clay gives Rongchang pottery its material identity. Following the shaping and finishing process offers an encounter with a craft rooted beyond central Chongqing.
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Lhasa · Tibet
Lhasa Appliqué Thangka
Layered textiles give Lhasa's appliqué thangka a distinctive presence. Looking at the materials and construction offers insight into an art with religious and cultural meaning.
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Nyemo · Tibet
Nyemo Incense-Making
In Nyemo, incense-making connects local materials, handwork and everyday cultural practice. The shaping and drying stages reveal the work behind each slender stick.
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Derge, Garzê · Sichuan
Derge Woodblock Printing
Woodblocks, ink and paper meet in a living printing tradition at Derge. Watching the coordinated work reveals how texts continue to be reproduced by hand.
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Danzhai · Guizhou
Danzhai Miao Batik
Wax-drawn patterns resist the dye and emerge on the finished cloth. Danzhai's Miao batik offers a distinct encounter with textile making and local visual traditions.
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Quanzhou · Fujian
Quanzhou Marionette Theatre
Skilled hands bring marionettes into a world of movement and story. Quanzhou's puppet theatre offers an engaging introduction to the region's performance traditions.
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Xi’an · Shaanxi
Tai Chi · Movement & Mindfulness
Discover taijiquan through relaxed, flowing movements, steady breathing and mindful attention. A guided introduction in Xi’an offers a different way to connect with Chinese culture.
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Weifang · Shandong
Weifang Kite-Making
Bamboo, paper and painted wings. Discover how a light frame becomes a flying work of folk art in Weifang.
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Yuxian, Zhangjiakou · Hebei
Yuxian Coloured Paper-Cutting
Delicate cuts meet vivid colour. Yuxian's paper art turns a thin sheet into flowers, figures and stories.
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Yangliuqing · Tianjin
Yangliuqing New Year Prints
Printed outlines, painted colour and wishes for the year ahead. Yangliuqing brings Tianjin's festive visual traditions to life.
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Wudang Mountains, Shiyan · Hubei
Wudang Martial Arts & Movement
Meet the Wudang Mountains through movement as well as their temples. Discover a martial tradition closely connected with Daoist culture.
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Chaozhou · Guangdong
Chaozhou Gongfu Tea
Small cups, careful brewing and generous hospitality. Chaozhou's gongfu tea tradition turns a shared drink into a close cultural encounter.
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Guangxi
Guangxi Zhuang Brocade
Bold colour, repeated motifs and the rhythm of a loom. Zhuang brocade offers a vivid encounter with Guangxi's textile culture.
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Baoting · Hainan
Hainan Li Textile Traditions
Spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidery tell another story of Hainan. Explore the skill and visual language of Li textiles.
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Huzhu · Qinghai
Huzhu Tu Pan Embroidery
Colour gathers into carefully worked patterns. Tu pan embroidery brings Qinghai's textile traditions into close focus.
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Ningxia
Ningxia Hui Paper-Cutting
A sheet of paper becomes a window onto everyday life. Discover the patterns and stories of Hui paper-cutting in Ningxia.
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Xinjiang
Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam
Voice, instruments and movement meet in Muqam. Discover a rich musical tradition within the Uyghur communities of Xinjiang.
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Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia's Horsehead Fiddle
A carved horse's head, bowed strings and an expressive sound. Meet the morin khuur through music and the stories around it.
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Foshan · Guangdong
Foshan Lion Dance
Drums sound and a lion comes to life. Foshan's southern lion dance combines athletic movement with expressive character.
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Wuyishan · Fujian
Wuyi Rock Tea
Tea grown among rocky hills, shaped by skilled processing. Follow Wuyi oolong from its landscape into the cup.
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Dehua, Quanzhou · Fujian
Dehua White Porcelain
A world of detail in white. Dehua's porcelain tradition draws attention to form, surface and the possibilities of clay.
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