The first edition of Qingdao's handicraft festival opened on June 9 in Chengyang district, Qingdao, offering a big stage to display and promote the city's rich intangible cultural heritage (ICH) handicrafts.

Qingdao kicks off an event to promote the development of local intangible cultural heritage handicrafts. [Photo/Guanhai News]

A total of 180 folk artists from Qingdao's seven districts and three county-level cities showcased their hand-made products and exquisite craftsmanship on the spot.

Qingdao has attached great importance to the festival as part of its efforts to properly protect, develop and utilize fine traditional Chinese culture, in a bid to build stronger cultural confidence and foster the national spirit.

A wide range of ICH items are on display at the festival's launch ceremony. [Photo/Guanhai News]

Qingdao has 207 ICH items at the municipal level or above. Qingdao seashell carving, Jimo rice wine, Pingdu straw weaving and other ICH items boast a long history, distinctive characteristics and high industrialization degree, laying a solid foundation for the development of the handicraft industry.

Qingdao is a city with booming industries and enjoys obvious comparative advantages in industrial design and clothing design. It has 37 cultural industrial parks at all levels, providing good industrial support and technical guarantees for the creative transformation of ICH projects, according to local officials.

A folk artist shows handicrafts and paintings made with seashells. [Photo/Guanhai News]

Craftsmen display their handmade artworks. [Photo/Guanhai News]