The Hong Kong media delegation visited the Yangzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Treasure Hall on March 25, touring the exhibition halls and master studios. At the Treasure Hall, the staff introduced a range of intangible cultural heritage crafts, including jade carving, lacquerware, paper cutting, embroidery, and sola flower making. Moreover, the staff also revealed that many of the items on display are the retained versions of China's national gifts.
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Five Halls in One: Preserving China's National Gifts
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The jade carving "Mantis and Cabbage", the hall's star exhibit, has an extremely complex production process. Photo by Bastille Post
Staff explained that Yangzhou paper-cutting is characterized by "flat cutting, no folding, and asymmetry" — using ordinary scissors to cut directly through Xuan paper, producing smooth lines and a style quite different from northern window decorations. Photo by Bastille Post
A young inheritor at the Treasure Hall, 28-year-old Wang Yunyu, has devoted herself to the art of sola flower making for over a decade, making her the youngest and earliest apprentice of master Mr. Dai Chunfu. Photo by Bastille Post
Sola flowers are made from rice-paper plant pith. Photo by Bastille Post
Sola flowers are the flowers that "never wither." Photo by Bastille Post
The Yangzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Treasure Hall integrates the Yangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum, the Yangzhou Jade Carving Museum, the Yangzhou Lacquerware Museum, the China Paper Cutting Museum, and the Guangling Branch of China Printing Museum. The Treasure Hall houses over ten thousand display items, encompassing exquisite masterpieces of woodblock printing, lacquerware, jade carving, paper cutting, and sola flowers, etc. The staff introduced that the wooden ship model "Boat of Friendship" on display is a retained version of the national gift presented by President Hu Jintao during his visit to Japan in 2008. "National gifts are often given in duplicate to prevent damage during transit. After arrival and confirmation of no problems, we keep the other one ourselves." This practice is common in diplomatic gift-giving: one item is kept in the museum, and one is given to the foreign dignitary.
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
The Star Exhibit: Jade Carving "Mantis and Cabbage"
The jade carving "Mantis and Cabbage", the hall's star exhibit, has an extremely complex production process. The staff explained that jade carving cannot be done with long tools at high rotation speeds, "because the jade will lose centrifugal force at high speeds, and the tools are too long." The openwork section of the carving— including the cabbage veins, pods, and various parts of the mantis — is all painstakingly hand-carved by sixteen craftsmen working in shifts, taking approximately three years to complete.
The jade carving "Mantis and Cabbage", the hall's star exhibit, has an extremely complex production process. Photo by Bastille Post
The Treasure Hall also houses a well-preserved Qing Dynasty lacquerware artifact that showcases the ultimate aesthetic of Yangzhou lacquerware." This piece uses golden phoebe wood as its base and combines complex techniques such as point-shell inlay, Qiangjin carved lacquer production (a type of carving technique), and turquoise inlay, etc. According to the staff, such an exquisite piece was often displayed on central hall tables in ancient times, symbolizing the status and position of the owner.
Yangzhou Paper Cutting: One Scissors, One Sheet of Xuan Paper
Staff explained that Yangzhou paper-cutting is characterized by "flat cutting, no folding, and asymmetry" — using ordinary scissors to cut directly through Xuan paper, producing smooth lines and a style quite different from northern window decorations. Photo by Bastille Post
The Treasure Hall also houses several studios of intangible cultural heritage craft masters, including a live demonstration of traditional Yangzhou paper-cutting by master Ms. Zhang Zhenmei. Staff explained that Yangzhou paper-cutting is characterized by "flat cutting, no folding, and asymmetry" — using ordinary scissors to cut directly through Xuan paper, producing smooth lines and a style quite different from northern window decorations.
Ms. Zhang Zhenmei said that paper-cutting relies entirely on the coordination of wrist strength and scissor control. "When the scissors cut lines that are too thick, we need to reduce the thickness. If the size is too small, the layers will be easily cut off and cannot be stretched." Once a pair of scissors becomes comfortable to use, she added, it is not easily replaced.
From the Spring Festival Gala to the Studio: A Post-95s Inheritor of Sola Flower Making
A young inheritor at the Treasure Hall, 28-year-old Wang Yunyu, has devoted herself to the art of sola flower making for over a decade, making her the youngest and earliest apprentice of master Mr. Dai Chunfu. Photo by Bastille Post
A young inheritor at the Treasure Hall, 28-year-old Wang Yunyu, has devoted herself to the art of sola flower making for over a decade, making her the youngest and earliest apprentice of master Mr. Dai Chunfu.
Sola flowers are made from rice-paper plant pith. Photo by Bastille Post
Sola flowers are made from rice-paper plant pith — a type of traditional Chinese medicine — which is shaved into thin slices with a rolling knife, cut into petal shapes, pressed, and then colored to create incredibly realistic flowers that "never wither." Staff explained that the technique was once lost after the Kangxi era but was revived in 1953 by master Mr. Qian Hongcai, who is related to Mr. Dai Chunfu as brother-in-law.
Sola flowers are the flowers that "never wither." Photo by Bastille Post
In recent years, Yangzhou sola flowers have gained increasing recognition. For instance, the "Twelve Floral Deities" featured in the 2026 Spring Festival Gala incorporated these flower products as decorations. Some pieces are even permanently displayed in national venues such as the Great Hall of the People, Zhongnanhai, and the Ziguang Pavilion, etc.
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
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
