The Baigong Skills Bazaar at the ongoing 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai offers visitors a chance to experience China's traditional arts and crafts up close.
With more than 30 interactive activities, the bazaar showcases everything from intangible cultural heritage and unique Chinese master crafts to futuristic technologies and social welfare initiatives, making it the most hands-on section of the expo.
Through performances and demonstrations by inheritors of intangible cultural heritage and master artisans, visitors can discover distinctive traditional skills at every turn.
A standout at the bazaar is the grand shadow play. The figures glide, flip, and shift, with every gesture and maneuver rendered vividly. Behind the screen, the performers constantly fine-tune the angles of the control rods and the range of motion to match the accompanying music, a feat that requires exceptional skill. Another highlight at is the blue calico craft from Anting Town in Shanghai's Jiading District.
To craft these fabrics, artisans first carve intricate designs onto a wooden board to create a printing block. They then complete a multi-step process, including immersion dyeing, before the distinctive patterns finally emerge on the cloth.
The 48th WorldSkills Competition will run from Tuesday till Sunday, bringing together young skilled professionals from around the world to showcase their expertise and exchange experience.
Interactive bazaar at 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai showcases traditional Chinese crafts
Chinese businesses said they are seeing rising sales of Mid-Autumn Festival goods boosted by demand from both domestic and international customers, with creative products that blend both classic and modern touches being most sought after.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. Around China, people celebrate the day by gathering for moon-gazing, eating mooncakes, and lighting colorful lanterns. This year, the festival falls on Sept 25.
In east China's Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, some business operators are busy sending Mid-Autumn Festival goods to international customers.
One of them is Sun Lingjuan, whose store has rolled out a set of special products, including earrings, bracelets, and necklaces to meet the rising demand.
"We informed our clients of the new products three months in advance. We received more orders for this set of products from Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia," said Sun.
Chinese lanterns with various Mid-Autumn Festival-themed patterns are also attracting increasing customers.
"We started wholesale shipments about half a month ago. Now, we are receiving growing offline orders from small buyers. We got large wholesale orders about half a month ago. We are also replenishing some of our products," said Yu Xiaoqian, a Chinese lantern seller.
In Shanghai, a novel type of mooncakes in yellow-rice-wine flavor is enjoying rising popularity among consumers.
Li Ronghua, general manager of Shanghai Liangxin Food Company Limited, said the mooncakes have seen higher-than-expected sales since they were put on the market last year, and the company is now producing over 50,000 pieces daily. Li said their products are also attracting Hong Kong customers and they have sent a batch of yellow-rice-wine flavored mooncakes to the region through cold chain.
"We decided to use five-year-old yellow rice wine for our mooncakes to produce layering flavors. Once customers get our pork mooncakes home, they can simply heat them up in an oven or air fryer and then enjoy a delicious treat," said Li.
According to the latest data, Shanghai Customs has supervised the export of over 40 tonnes of mooncakes valued at about 4 million yuan (about 600,000 U.S. dollars). They were destined for multiple countries and regions, including the United States, Australia, and Malaysia.
Chinese businesses see rising sales of Mid-Autumn Festival goods
