Articles by A.M.

As the Chinese Spring Festival is approaching, Linyi recently launched the 2024 New Year’s Shandong Rural Culture Tourism Festival. With Shuiyu Tianyuan in Pingyi County as its center, the ceremonial event was held simultaneously in all the districts and counties of Linyi City.  Quite a few related organizations in Linyi hosted the event, including the City Marketing Department, the Municipal Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the Municipal Radio and Television Station. Shandong’s handmade arts as intangible cultural heritage are on display during the festival. New Year’s goods fair is to be seen,…

Gourds have been widely cultivated in China as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1046BC-256BC). Gourd pyrography as a folk artform can be traced back to the Jiaqing period (1796-1820) of Emperor Renzong in the Qing Dynasty (1616-1912). Mengshan Gourd Pyrography, is very popular in Wenshui Town of Pingyi County in Linyi City, Shandong Province. One representative of this artform there is Mr. Chen Qinggui, whose gourd pyrography compositions are well-known due to the vivid and skillful techniques. His gourd paintings describe landscapes, human figures, or zodiac signs. Exquisite and unique, his works show the high niveau of this traditional Chinese…

Recently, Luozhuang District Committee of Linyi City invited 10 overseas students studying at Linyi University from Guinea, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Russia and other countries to participate in the activity of “Shandong Celebrating the Chinese New Year – Luozhuang Trip with New Year’s Flavor”. The students experienced the unique charm and characteristic of the local culture there with much typical Chinese tradition. The students visited Miaomiao Paper-cutting Studio and Yimeng Exhibition Center in Luozhuang District, where they dived into the New Year’s atmosphere and enjoyed paper-cutting, ceramics, pottery culture and more. Existing widely across the country, paper-cutting is a…

Baoshanqian Wildlife Park is a 4,600-mu-sized super “animal kingdom” in Linyi with lakes and mountains around. The entertainment park is a huge attraction in winter, too. As the winter vacation is approaching, many parents are planning the holiday with their children. Baoshanqian Wildlife Park is ready to receive the crowd who will – for sure – be enchanted by the big selection of wild animals and other related programmes, such as “Baoshan Lake Rafting” or “Animal Hunting on the Great Wall”. One can start the wild journey by sitting on a bubble boat, feeling the wind blowing and observing the…

Spring in Linyin is poesy. Walking on the bluestone pavement of Yishui Rainbow District, caressed by the spring breeze blows, one feels relaxed and happy. The attic houses with wooden pillars and blue tiles are along the river backed by the snow-capped mountains. There is a peculiar tranquility lengthening from ancient era all the way through to today’s time.  Since the beginning of this year, Yishui County has vigorously implemented the project of “Cultural Tourism and Revitalizing the County”, giving full play to its own advantages. With business integrating into the tourism projects, the county is constantly innovating concepts, creating…

Daicun Community, located in Bianzhuang District, Lanling County of Linyi City, is proposing the concept of a new-styled pastoral community within the county. With Mr. Wang Chuanxi as a leading figure of the Lanling County Committee, the concept aims to promote the rural revitalization by helping out the poorer area with the power of the richer ones. Daicun Community is a so-called “model village” with a total industry output value of 2.6 billion yuan, which means a per capita yearly net income of villagers of 69,000 yuan. Mr. Wang Chuanxi believes that if Daicun wants new development, it must find…

Dough sculpture, commonly known as dough flowering or dough kneading, is a traditional handicraft spread among Chinese people. The dough sculpture artform has been recorded in writing since the Han Dynasty. After thousands of years of inheritance, the artform is deeply loved as a folk art. Furthermore, the objects are a good method of research for history, archaeology, folklore, art and aesthetics. The raw material of dough sculptures is the common flour. But the craftsmen have the ability to transform daily routine into magical world. After kneading the flour dough by hand, they create various images with it like graceful…