Shandong province has been promoting local intangible cultural heritage items among students at schools to improve their understanding of local traditions and help pass on local cultural heritage items to a new generation.

Liu Yanan, an art teacher at Juancheng County Experimental Primary School, guides students on how to make clay sculptures. [Photo by Su Shuman/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Currently, classes on how to make dough figurines, paper-cuts, and other traditional handicrafts with regional characteristics have opened in the province's schools.

According to Liu Yanan, an art teacher at Juancheng County Experimental Primary School in Juancheng county of Heze city, the dough figurine making class allows students to feel the unique charm of the intangible cultural heritage item through hands-on experiences.

"Students are able to make the dough figurine themselves while learning about the history and culture behind the art form," she said.

Folk artist Sun Jiling instructs students on paper-cutting at Jinshi Hope Primary School in Penglou town. [Photo by Sun Tongwen/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Sun Jiling, a folk paper-cutting artist, gives paper-cutting lessons to students at Jinshi Hope Primary School in Penglou town in Juancheng. Under the guidance of Sun, students have learned paper-cutting skills and tried to create their own patterns.

According to Li Chenjing, director of Juancheng county publicity department, the intangible cultural heritage item classes aim to help children learn about cultural heritage items, as well as why and how they should be protected, while teaching them to preserve the legacies left by their forefathers.