Tianhe held a seven-day cultural carnival starting Aug 14 to celebrate the Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day, marking a significant step in the systematic protection and inheritance of the national intangible cultural heritage "Qixi Festival (Tianhe Qiqiao folklore)".

The carnival invites citizens and tourists to engage in an immersive Qiqiao folklore. During the launch ceremony, Tianhe district authorities awarded plaques to the 13th batch of district-level ICH projects and the first batch of ICH workshops. Additionally, the original picture book "Fairy and Mortal Love: Qiqiao in Zhu Village" was unveiled, adding new projects and platforms to its heritage preservation efforts.

The carnival creatively links cultural festivities with urban consumption through the ticket, exploring a cultural-commerce-tourism integration path. Citizens can use the event tickets to unlock exclusive offers across major shopping areas, hotels, attractions, and dining spots in Tianhe via the "Travel Tianhe" WeChat platform.

Highlighting the festival, the original short play "Qiqiao: Destiny" premiered, using contemporary artistic expressions to bring Qiqiao culture to life. The play, based on the customs of Zhu Village, known as China's first Qiqiao village", captivated audiences with its heartfelt storytelling.

A Chinese exhibition of wedding customs is held during the carnival. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]

A wedding customs exhibition further enriched the cultural experience by showcasing traditional rites and encouraging values such as fidelity and mutual respect.

Through these vibrant celebrations, Tianhe is revitalizing traditional Chinese culture, aligning it with modern urban life, and fostering a harmonious blend of cultural heritage and economic vitality.