AsiaNet 200463

LIAOCHENG, China, Oct. 21, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--From October 12 to 15, the 16th China Jiangbei Watertown and Pearl of Two Rivers (Liaocheng) Gourd Culture Art Festival was held in Liaocheng city, Shandong province, an ancient water town in China. The event attracted over 7,000 gourd merchants, growers, enthusiasts, and artists from 18 provinces across the country, with a total transaction amount reaching 290 million yuan.

Themed "Introducing You to an Extraordinary Gourd," the festival featured a series of exciting activities such as Chinese Gourd Boutique Exhibition, Chinese Gourd Craft Competition, and Gourd Cultural Innovation Design Competition. Through multi-level and diversified communication activities, the event aimed to enhance the entire industry chain of gourd cultivation, processing, sales, and artistic beautification, thereby contributing to the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization and laying a strong foundation for the high-quality development of the gourd industry.

This year's art festival was co-hosted by the Liaocheng Municipal People's Government and the China Cultural Heritage Protection Center, and co-organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Liaocheng Municipal Committee, the CPC Dongchangfu District Committee, and the Dongchangfu District People's Government.

Since 2007, Liaocheng has held 15 sessions of such art festival, significantly enhancing its external influence and recognition. The gourd industry stands as one of the most representative specialty industries of Liaocheng, with a planting area of over 30,000 mu, accounting for 75% of the national market share in planting and processing. The annual comprehensive benefits of the gourd industry reached 1.6 billion yuan.

As early as 2008, gourd carving from Dongchangfu District of Liaocheng was included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.

Today, gourd has become an iconic cultural symbol of Liaocheng and a powerful driving force for the development of the cultural and tourism industry, a successful practice in cultural innovation and creation, as well as a prime example of promoting rural revitalization.

Source: The CPC Liaocheng Dongchangfu District Committee