An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) festival kicked off in Chengyang district, Qingdao on July 4, as part of local government's efforts to protect, inherit and carry forward fine traditional culture.

An intangible cultural heritage festival kicks off in Chengyang district, Qingdao on July 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The ICH-themed festival is the first of its kind to be held in Chengyang district. A dazzling array of activities, including ICH fairs, exhibitions, performances, lectures, and tours, will take place during the festival.

Local fashion brands as well as creative culture enterprises will also participate in the festival to inject vitality into the development of the local creative culture industry.

Chengyang boasts a long history and a wealth of talents, with profound intangible cultural heritage items and rich folk culture resources. The district has 78 representative intangible cultural heritage items, including one at the national level, 12 at the provincial level and 29 at the municipal level.

Folk artists display handicrafts at the opening ceremony of the intangible cultural heritage festival in Chengyang. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In recent years, Chengyang has been ramping up efforts to protect intangible cultural heritage items, historical blocks, ancient structures and cultural relics through social and economic development.

The district is also working to improve its tourism infrastructure, create nighttime tourism and leisure tourism products, and cultivate popular landmarks that integrate boutique tourism to attract more tourists.