Windy Shao

windysjf@hotmail.com

The first Mission Hills Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival was unveiled in Longhua District on Saturday, with dozens of cultural activities and performances.

Scores of children gathered on a lawn outside Mission Hills Mall for a 100-meter scroll painting on intangible cultural heritage.

Inheritors of kirin dance, an intangible cultural heritage, gave a wonderful performance at the opening ceremony. The kirin, or Chinese unicorn, is a mythical beast that symbolizes good luck and prosperity.

Organizers also invited inheritors of leather-silhouette show, tie-dye, paper-cutting, glass blowing, ceramic art, movable-type printing to showcase those traditional skills, which have been popular in China several hundred years ago or even more than 1,000 years ago.

The festival will last nine days. Visitors can join classes to learn how to make traditional handicrafts and activities involving intangible cultural heritage, all for free.

Intangible cultural heritage performances like Hakka folk songs, tea dance and Hanfu shows are staged and various salons on intangible cultural heritage are held during the festival.

Maria Fang from New Zealand, a visitor to the festival, wrote down her Chinese name with a brush and was proud of her Chinese calligraphy. “I like Chinese calligraphy and I am skilled in writing my name, which is now my legal name in Chinese,” she told Shenzhen Daily.

Maria and her Chinese husband have lived at Mission Hills Golf Club for 15 years and she likes the culture atmosphere here very much.

“I like the culture festival a lot, not only the festival itself, but the buildings here too. They encourage children to use their hands and eyes, getting their brains to think. I like the whole area. Mission Hills Group has done a wonderful thing by having the arts and craft complex, they are more than just buildings.”

“Every few months, I stopped by and take a look at MK Maker to support some of the artists on occasion, buy little things. I ordered a painting here.”