PENG TIAN is busy explaining how she made the dough models on display to an audience at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing in mid-October. “Every work has an element of traditional culture or an interesting story behind it,” Peng says.

Peng was among four young artists showing their latest works of intangible culture at the center. Visitors can take in translucent palace lanterns, paper-cut works, or other visual arts such as traditional fire dragon dances from Chengdu, Sichuan Province in the space.

Workshops offering interactive experiences in intangible culture heritage were also set up to allow visitors to interact with art practitioners.

“We want young people to gain inspiration from Chinese history and culture that they may have overlooked in the past,” says Chen Muru, head of marketing with Airbnb China.

Around 80 percent of young travelers show an interest in cultural experiences, Chen says. “The idea is to help young travelers immerse themselves in the charms of Chinese culture.”

To date, Airbnb has organized around 40 intangible cultural heritage experiences across China, including in Beijing, Shanghai, Guizhou and Sichuan. These events ranged from interactive sessions on traditional handicrafts, tea art, pottery, gourmet food and opera to kung fu, board games, calligraphy and painting.

(China Daily)