The closing ceremony of the workshop.

A workshop on “Happy Chinese New Year” and Safeguarding and Promotion of Traditional Festivals was held by the International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (CRIHAP) under UNESCO in Foshan and Chaoshan in Guangdong province from Nov 29 to Dec 7, 2013. It was attended by the project leader from the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, relevant directors from the Chinese National Academy of Arts, experts and scholars on traditional Chinese festivals from Beijing and Guangdong province and over 30 friends from almost 20 countries who helped carry out the project overseas and conducted field studies during the period.

Held overseas by other ministries as well as more than 20 provincial and municipal governments under the call of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, “Happy Chinese New Year” was a successful external cultural publicity and public cultural diplomacy event. Based on the cultural connotation and traditional customs of Spring Festival, the most significant traditional Chinese festival, it is a grand banquet for people upholding happiness, harmony and sharing from all over the world. Through various activities, such as float parades, square fairs, artistic performances, themed exhibitions, folk handicraft expositions and broadcasts of Chinese films and TV shows, it is a choice for those who admire traditional culture and respect and enjoy diverse cultures, and a demonstration of cultural diversity of the world. Meanwhile, the activity offers new opportunities and opened up new channels for enhancing mutual understanding, trust, exchange and cooperation between China and other countries.

Mathieu Rofer Max FEREY, president of the Debussy National Academy of Music in Paris, learns how to make a Foshan paper-cut.

The workshop focuses on inheritance and preservation of the Spring Festival as a significant intangible cultural heritage, and attempts to make it more dynamic. It is also a meaningful international discussion and exchange event aiming to promote understanding of and attention to cultural diversity and sustainable development of society. According to their respective specialties and practices, participants engaged in discussions and exchanges on the meanings and functions of Spring Festival and other traditional Chinese festivals, inheritance and preservation of traditional festival culture and development of Spring Festival culture, among many other things. They also offered practical suggestions on how to better carry out a “Happy Chinese New Year” overseas.

In addition, supported by the Guangdong Agency for Cultural Affairs, Chaozhou government and Foshan government, participants conducted field studies on projects covering intangible cultural heritage. It is expected that personal experiences will promote a better understanding of traditional Chinese handicrafts, ceremonies, social practices and special customs. It is especially targeted at foreign participants, as they can disseminate the meanings and ideas of Spring Festival when “Happy Chinese New Year” is held overseas.

Liu Zemian, the representative inheritor of Shiwan pottery, demonstrates his skills in the craft.

CRIHAP, an international institution on intangible cultural heritage founded by UNESCO in the Asia-Pacific region, enjoys both the global network resources of UNESCO and the competence of the Chinese Academy of Arts on the preservation of Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Thanks to these advantages, CRIHAP can be engaged in the preservation of international intangible cultural heritage and maintain cultural diversity of the world in a better fashion. Since it was founded two years ago, CRIHAP has made unremitting efforts through a series of international trainings, exchanges and cooperation to establish a local and global platform for exchange and cooperation.