In 2017, Weifang held the Second Traditional Craftsmanship Creativity and Design Competition, which was designed to inherit and boost traditional craftsmanship, protect craftsmen's individuality and explore the value of creative arts.

The competition received approximately 1,000 entries from research institutions of industrial arts,  related enterprises, enthusiasts of traditional arts, and inheritors of intangible cultural heritages. The works demonstrated the creativity and ideas that integrate traditional craftsmanship into modern life.

Strengthening the inheritance of intangible cultural heritages

Training new inheritors is vital to carrying intangible cultural heritages forward. The traditional teaching methods, such as training apprentices within a family or workshop, are out of date. A modern apprenticeship system suitable for modern times is in need.

Therefore, the protection center of intangible cultural heritages in Weifang, under the cooperation with Weifang School for Deaf-Mutes and Weifang Commercial College, explored ways to integrate modern education system with traditional apprenticeship and special education with vocational education.

An inheritor of Weifang New Year paintings. [Photo/Cultural Shandong]

In 2017, Weifang carried out a project to train creative talents for New Year paintings. Masters were invited to give lessons for practitioners of the art, to improve their skills and marketing awareness.

Sun Lijun, head of Weifang department of culture, radio, film, TV, press and publication, said that the city has carried out a project to train new inheritors for intangible cultural heritages by organizing representative inheritors to take more than 5,000 apprentices.

According to Sun, more than 500 inheritors and business backbones are trained annually. In addition, the intangible cultural heritages are also taught at schools. The courses on traditional arts, dance, craftsmanship and martial arts have been launched in more than 1,000 schools, with about 500,000 students taking part in these education activities each year.