Envoys visit Tangshan Temple Fair held in Beijing on February 24, 2024 and explore the charm of shadow puppets. Photo: Courtesy of Tangshan Culture and Tourism

On February 24, this year's Lantern Festival, the Tangshan Municipal Government of Hebei Province in North China and the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions (BDS) successfully held the "Visit Tangshan Temple Fair to Celebrate Chinese New Year" event at the Jianguomen Diplomatic Residence in Beijing. High-level diplomats from more than 30 countries, including the ambassadors of Tonga, Kiribati, Samoa, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Morocco, and representatives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and other international organizations, as well as the staff of more than 10 international organizations and media agencies, were invited to the event, with more than 500 guests in attendance.

This event was themed "Cultural Integration, Celebrate Peace," with an intangible cultural heritage display area and an agricultural and aquatic products sales display area, 16 intangible cultural heritage stalls including paper-cutting, shadow puppets, clay sculpture, porcelain production, and other traditional handicrafts in Tangshan. More than 20 local enterprises in Tangshan known for all kinds of specialties and regional food also participated in the event, with their products dazzling invited guests. Each intangible cultural handicraft stall is a window of cultural exchange between China and the world, offering an unforgettable Lantern Festival feast experience for guests from China and the world. 

The event was characterized by a strong food culture atmosphere, in which guests enjoyed rich and diversified local foods, which not only satisfied their taste buds but also allowed them to experience and understand the food culture and regional characteristics of Tangshan at a deeper level.

At the event, the Tangshan folk performance team also mounted several exciting live performances, presenting the "three flowers of Jidong (East Hebei)" - Pingju Opera, shadow puppets, and Laoting drums, through the vivid and lively stage performance form, allowing guests to deeply explore and enjoy the unique charm of Chinese folk art. In addition, a well-produced promotional video for Tangshan was also shown, which comprehensively demonstrated the transformation of Tangshan into an ecological and livable city from an industrial town, as well as its rich tourism resources and deep historical and cultural heritage.

The ambassadors and participating guests spoke highly of the event.

Intangible cultural heritages are vivid carriers of China's history, national spirit, and wisdom, which shape and spread to the outside world the image of a country with profound cultural roots and unique charm. The Tangshan Cultural Temple Fair provides a vivid platform for the display of traditional Chinese culture, and allows foreign envoys and diplomats to experience traditional Chinese temple fair culture, which can enhance their understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture, to promote cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between China and foreign countries. The event has demonstrated a vibrant and comprehensive Chinese culture and image of China, and has also provided opportunities for deeper international cultural exchanges in the future.