HK Media’s Jiangsu Tour: Wuxi’s Ancient Canal and Craftsmanship Bring Intangible Cultural Heritage to Life

The Hong Kong media delegation gained a firsthand appreciation of the three Wuxi cultural signatures on March 27, touring a Huishan clay figurine workshop and a miniature embroidery studio during the day, and experiencing the cultural activities along the ancient canal in the evening.

The Hong Kong media delegation visited Huishan Ancient Town on March 27. Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation arrived at Huishan Ancient Town in the afternoon, beginning their visit at Yingyueli Historical Block, which is steeped in the cultural legacy of Erquan Yingyue ("The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring"), linking the glamour of Xihui Mountains and the Grand Canal. As the main stage of the Wuxi Sub-venue of the 2025 CMG Spring Festival Gala, Yingyueli Historical Block is well-known for Baoshan Bridge and Xishan First Building among its most recognized filming locations. The delegation also strolled through Jichang Garden, one of the four famed gardens in Jiangnan that features artfully stacked rocks, serene ponds, and shaded ancient trees, in this national 5A-level scenic area. Moreover, the delegation visited the Second Spring under Heaven, appreciating the scenery of the courtyard complex of springs, pools, streams, and stone inscriptions from successive dynasties. Among them, the stone inscription personally inscribed by Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty even remains intact today, spanning a historical legacy over a thousand years.

The delegation also strolled through Jichang Garden, one of the four famed gardens in Jiangnan that features artfully stacked rocks, serene ponds, and shaded ancient trees. Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation then visited Sound Hall, a music and cultural landmark transformed from a century-old architecture. The venue integrates local soundscapes with musical art, hosting a variety of weekly performances that have made it a popular destination for music enthusiasts across the Yangtze River Delta region.

The delegation then visited Sound Hall, a music and cultural landmark transformed from a century-old architecture. Photo by Bastille Post

Huishan Clay Figurines: No Kiln, Centuries of Life

Huishan clay figurines are crafted from a local specialty, “Huishan black clay”, prized for its fine texture and exceptional hardness after air-drying—qualities that allow the figurines to last for centuries without kiln firing. Inside the workshop, a female inheritor with over 20 years of experience in producing clay figurines demonstrated the clay’s remarkable properties: After kneading, it leaves no fingerprints and can be bent 180 degrees without cracking. The entire process for making clay figurines uses only water and clay, with no additives. The brand director of the workshop, Ms. Bao Linjie, explained that in recent years, the brand has been actively exploring cultural and creative transformation. For instance, during the Year of the Horse, they launched a clay horse paired with cauliflower—a playful nod to the Chinese idiom “achieving immediate talent.” Another creation, a soccer ball with drums, was named “realizing goals immediately” in collaboration with the Wuxi Jiangsu Super League team. Both proved highly popular with customers.

Moreover, a clay figurine with the name of “Double Happiness” designed by a young inheritor became a hit after being selected as an ideal gift by an artist from Wuxi and has since sold out. Ms. Bao also revealed that the brand plans to leverage Hong Kong's geographical advantage as a springboard for overseas expansion, with hopes of collaborating with HK's local intangible cultural heritage crafts—such as Hong Kong-style Canton porcelain and neon lights—to create cultural and creative products. “We’ll see if we can create some collaborative handicrafts that are more suitable for sales in both regions." she said.

Huishan clay figurines are crafted from a local specialty, “Huishan black clay”. Photo by Bastille Post

Miniature Embroidery: Mistaken for Glass Painting—Art That Left Germany in Awe

Zhao Hongyu, a national-level inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, has been practicing embroidery since 1973 and has specialized in miniature embroidery for over 50 years.

According to her, double-sided miniature embroidery requires splitting a single silk strand into seventieths or eightieths of its original thickness to achieve the finest threads. When embroidering a face, she explains, “Even if it’s the size of a mung bean, all its features and expressions must be embroidered with extremely fine thread—and both sides must be identical.”

In 2009, she accompanied a delegation led by China’s then vice president to Germany, bringing ten national-level handicrafts. An elderly German man initially mistook the miniature embroidery for glass paintings. Upon closer inspection, he realized the works were meticulously stitched by hand, remarking that such things could never be made by machines.

Zhao Hongyu, a national-level inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, has been practicing embroidery since 1973 and has specialized in miniature embroidery for over 50 years. Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Zhao noted that miniature embroidery is positioned at the level of spiritual consumption. “When material needs reach a certain level, spiritual needs arise.” she said. She believes the greatest challenge to passing on the craft is not merely patience, but artistic cultivation. “Skill alone is useless. To reach a high level, you must have cultivation, accumulation, and vision.”

Double-sided miniature embroidery requires splitting a single silk strand into seventieths or eightieths of its original thickness to achieve the finest threads. Photo by Bastille Post

She lamented that young people today have many choices. “Even courier services can make money. Who has the time to dedicate decades to honing their craft?” Her studio currently has only six embroiderers.

Ancient Canal: Live Performance Brings City’s Founding Legend to Life

As night fell, the media delegation boarded a boat to admire the Qingming Bridge section of the ancient canal, where several live performances unfolded along the way. The opening act, “Prosperous Rain and Mist”, featured a duet sung in the soft Wu dialect. Next came a play of light and shadow, recreating the legend of the founding of the Wu Kingdom. The final chapter, “Canal Dwellers”, painted a vivid picture of life along the bustling water lanes.

As night fell, the media delegation boarded a boat to admire the Qingming Bridge section of the ancient canal. Photo by Bastille Post

The Qingming Bridge section, the best-preserved part of the ancient canal, has been designated as a demonstration section for the Grand Canal’s World Heritage application. Here, young people in Hanfu are often seen pausing by the ancient bridges, with oil-paper umbrellas in hand. Stone paths, lamplight, and flowing water—all are part of the characteristic scene in Wuxi.

The final chapter, “Canal Dwellers,” painted a vivid picture of life along the bustling water lanes. Photo by Bastille Post

With such a flourishing culture, Wuxi’s traditions live on naturally. Perhaps this is the true essence of a city.

The play of light and shadow, recreated the legend of the founding of the Wu Kingdom. Photo by Bastille Post

In late March, the Hong Kong media delegation visited the Confucius Temple, Qinhuai River, Slender West Lake, the Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum, and the Suzhou Pingjiang Historical and Cultural District, following the Grand Canal and waterways from various dynasties. Appreciating lantern festivals, classical gardens, ancient streets, and the timeworn waters, the delegation experienced the cultural heritage of Jiangnan in early spring and witnessed the preservation of the world's cultural heritage sites.

Photo by Bastille Post

Nanjing: Qinhuai River's Glimmering Lanterns

On the evening of March 23, the delegation boarded an ornately decorated boat from the Confucius Temple and traveled along the Qinhuai River.

On the water, lotus lanterns, cicada lanterns, rabbit lanterns, and lanterns depicting ladies in ancient costumes and zodiac animals swayed with ripples. The docent explained, "The Qinhuai Lantern Festival and Qinhuai lantern decorations are both national intangible cultural heritage. The classic Qinhuai lantern designs include lotus lanterns, cicada lanterns, and rabbit lanterns, etc." The Qinhuai Lantern Festival, revived in 1984, is now in its 40th year, with the theme "A Thousand Years of Lanterns Illuminating Jinling, A New Chapter Begins at 40th Year." The festival features eight exhibition areas and approximately 390 lantern sets.

On the water, lotus lanterns, cicada lanterns, rabbit lanterns, and lanterns depicting ladies in ancient costumes and zodiac animals swayed with ripples. Photo by Bastille Post

The firewalls of the Hui-style buildings on both banks rose high into the night. The docent explained that the firewalls were "both aesthetically pleasing and, due to their height, provided excellent fire prevention".

Photo by Bastille Post

The boat passed Wende Bridge, famous for its alignment with the meridian. Every year on the fifteenth day of the eleventh lunar month at midnight, the bridge's shadow perfectly splits the moon's reflection in the river in two, with half the moon visible on each side — a phenomenon known as "Wende Dividing the Moon."

The Confucius Temple is crowded with visitors. Photo by Bastille Post

According to folklore, the poet Li Bai, while drinking at a tavern near the bridge, saw the moon's reflection in the water and leapt from the bridge in an attempt to catch it, thus adding fame to this extraordinary sight.

Yangzhou: The Enduring Grace of Classical Gardens and Ancient Waterways

On the evening of March 25, the delegation boarded a boat in Yangzhou for a night cruise on Slender West Lake.

Tracing back to history, when Emperor Qianlong traveled south by water, Slender West Lake lay along his imperial route. As the emperor passed through, the salt merchants of Yangzhou vied to build a garden along the shores. Whoever built a more beautiful garden would have the emperor's procession slow down before theirs for appreciation. Driven by the competition, one garden after another rose along the shores, until the lake landscape became "flowers and willows lining both shores, pavilions and terraces stretching all the way to the mountains."

The beautiful scenery of the Slender West Lake at night, Photo by Bastille Post

The docent introduced the history of the Five Pavilion Bridge, the Twenty-Four Bridges, and the Fishing Terrace along the lake. The Five Pavilion Bridge, whose official name is "Lotus Bridge", was originally built during the Qianlong era. The existing White Pagoda and the bridge foundation of the Five Pavilion Bridge are authentic Qing Dynasty relics; the rest were rebuilt after being destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion.

The White Pagoda, Photo by Bastille Post

The docent remarked, "The beauty of Slender West Lake during the day is visible at a glance, but its beauty at night must be comprehended." The lake features a water curtain performance titled "Two Parts of the Moon", inspired by the Tang Dynasty poem: "Of the three parts of the moonlit night under heaven, two parts belong to Yangzhou." Using lights and water mist, the performance brings to life the poetic imagery that scholars have sung of for centuries.

The water curtain performance at night, Photo by Bastille Post

The following day, the delegation visited Jianzhen Road and the Grand Canal Museum. Jianzhen Road is named after the Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen, a native of Yangzhou who travelled six times to Japan to spread Buddhism. During the flowering season, cherry blossoms bloom along the road, accompanied by creative markets and Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) photography events.

The statue of the Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen, Photo by Bastille Post

The Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum, located in the Sanwan Scenic Spot, is a national first-class museum. It houses over 10,000 artifacts related to the Grand Canal, spanning from the Spring and Autumn Period to the present day. A key exhibit is a 25-meter-long cross-section of the Bian River channel, retrieved intact from an archaeological site in Henan Province. Layers of bed soil from different dynasties are stacked, allowing visitors to see a cross-section of time itself.

The Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum, Photo by Bastille Post

A key exhibit is a 25-meter-long cross-section of the Bian River channel, retrieved intact from an archaeological site in Henan Province. Photo by Bastille Post

The museum houses over 10,000 artifacts related to the Grand Canal, spanning from the Spring and Autumn Period to the present day. Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Moreover, the museum also features a digital immersive exhibition titled "Love of the River". In 2014, Yangzhou led 35 cities along the Grand Canal in successfully applying for UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status.

The exhibits at the museum, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Suzhou: Spring Breathes Life into Ancient Streets and Winding Waters

On the afternoon of March 28, the delegation visited the Suzhou Pingjiang Historical and Cultural District.

Pingjiang Road is approximately 1,600 meters long, and its layout closely matches the Pingjiangtu, a city map of Suzhou in the Song Dynasty. The double-chessboard structure of "parallel waterways and land, streets adjacent to rivers" from the Tang and Song Dynasties has been preserved to the present, earning it the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award.

Photo by Bastille Post

In the springtime, tourists and locals enjoyed themselves along Pingjiang Road, which is not a deliberately constructed tourist attraction, but a living ancient street where people still reside, run shops, and go about their daily lives. Some were even dressed in traditional costumes, strolling amidst the lively atmosphere.

Photo by Bastille Post

Near the parking area stands a building hidden within the campus of Suzhou Pingjiang Experimental School — the Dacheng Hall of Changzhou County School, the main hall of the county school. Originally built in the Song Dynasty, the current structure is a reconstruction from the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, sharing the same site with the present-day school. 

The Dacheng Hall of Changzhou County School, Photo by Bastille Post

As the trip drew to a close, the delegation moved to a lakeside in Suzhou, appreciating the beauty of the flower season and spring scenery.

Photo by Bastille Post

Ancient streets and waterways lay on one side, while the springtime lakeside was on the other. One side held a landscape spanning over two thousand years; the other held a modern spring afternoon. Each simply rested in its own tranquility to form a peaceful harmony.

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post