The Chinese Culture Week—Hunan Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition kicked off in King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, on December 25, 2010.
The three-day exhibition was organized by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Ministry of Culture and Information of Saudi Arabia, and the Embassy of the PRC in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, undertaken by the Department of Culture of Hunan Province, and co-hosted by the Protection Center of Hunan Intangible Cultural Heritage. The exhibition was held in an attempt to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Saudi Arabian diplomatic relations.
Ten items of intangible cultural heritage representing the highest level of Hunan’s folk arts were on display, including Hunan embroidery, Liling under-glaze colored porcelain, brocade of Tujia minority, silver adornment of Miao minority, and Baoqing bamboo engraving.
Considering that Saudi Arabia locates in desert region, the organizers also exhibited sand paintings of Li Junsheng’s, a native Zhangjiajie. Each item was exhibited with vivid words introduction and pictures illustration, and real objects. National folk arts masters like Jiang Zaihong, Wang Wending, and Li Junsheng conducted live performances of various skills, such as Xiang embroidery, Changsha palm fiber weaving, and sand painting. Saudi Arabian people and officials showed great interest in those artists’ performances, and enjoyed China’s extensive and profound folk culture.