The National Cultural and Natural Heritage Day falls on the second Saturday of June. This year, it will fall on June 13, coinciding the Dragon Boat Festival, with the theme "Intangible Cultural Heritage: Making Life Better". To bring intangible cultural heritage (ICH) further into modern life, the CTCM has planned a series of activities around the two occasions.

Running from June 12 to June 21 (excluding the closing days), the program comprises an ICH bazaar, ICH performances and free guided tours. Visitors are invited to encounter traditional craftsmanship at close hand, to experience the appeal of ICH and to take in the folk customs of the Dragon Boat Festival.

ICH bazaar: A better life

From June 12 to June 21 (excluding the closing days), the CTCM ICH bazaar will open in the central hall and the L-shaped corridor of the multi-function hall at CTCM. It will comprise 34 booths, 24 of which will be for traditional handicraft ICH items and 10 for ICH foods. Built around the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, the bazaar will present traditional handicrafts such as Liugou straw weaving and Qingyang sachet embroidery, together with foods including Qingjian pancakes, Shunchang stuffed eggs and Miluo rice dumplings, gathering regional flavors and skills in one place.

"Meeting ICH" performances

On June 13, the CTCM will invite artists from the Gaoping Performing Arts Group of Jincheng, Shanxi province to perform excerpts from the Shangdang Bangzi plays Fan Tongguan and Sanguan Paiyan, giving audiences a close view of traditional theatre as living heritage.

Free guided tours

From June 11 to June 14, the CTCM will offer free guided tours. Details can be found in the announcement at the information desk on the north side of the museum, and visitors are advised to wait at the starting point of the relevant gallery in advance. Should a tour's length change or the guide be replaced at short notice, the notice board at the information desk on the day will be authoritative.

Heritage nourishes all things, and the craftsman's hand warms daily life. In this June, visitors are invited to the CTCM to experience intangible cultural heritage as part of modern life and to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.