By Lu Chenghui

Tasting tea, making tea, listening to the opera, watching the dance...on 27th December 2023, ‘The Belt and Road - intangible cultural heritage tea talk’ Chinese and foreign cultural exchange event was held at Nantong North Cultural and Sports Center. More than 30 international students in Nantong from ‘the Belt and Road’ countries such as Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan watched the intangible cultural heritage exhibition and performances on the spot, experiencing the charm of traditional culture.

The first one on the stage was the tea art performance. ‘I know Chinese tea is delicious, but did not expect there is such an amazing tea art performance.’ Peng Yuyan, a youth from Bangladesh, exclaimed.

The dance performance a single needle and a piece of thread centering around Nantong intangible cultural heritage Shen Embroidery, classic piece of Yue Opera the Butterfly Lovers, traditional martial art Chen-style tai chi etc. brought a visual feast.

‘I know there is a lot of wonderful traditional culture worth experiencing in Nantong. I hope that one day I can bring these crafts to my hometown.’ Having been in Nantong for 3 months, Angelina from Russia has experienced intangible cultural heritage projects such as making tea and tie-dye, falling in love with the beauty of blue and white.