Intangible cultural heritages, such as dough figurines and traditional embroidery, have been exhibited by stall owners near Luoyang Bridge near Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian province, helping to add new color to the region's night economy.
Tourists gather in front of Zhang Mingtie's stall to observe his craftsmanship, Aug. 28. (Photo/Xinhua)
The stall of Zhang Mingtie is located on the south bank of Luoyang Bridge. Holding a stick in his left hand and pinching the colored dough on the tip of his right finger, Zhang completed a vivid dough figurine in half an hour.
Inheriting his dough figurine making skills in Quanzhou, Zhang has been engaged in the trade for decades.
Visitors crowd around the bridge; from time to time, some of them stay in front of the stall with their children in their arms.
"Would you like one figurine for the child, Monkey King or Pleasant Sheep?" said Zhang. Once visitors stay in front of his stall, Zhang hands over the figurines to them and spares no effort to demonstrate his skills.
Zhang sculpts a figurine at his stall on Aug. 28. (Photo/Xinhua)
"In the past, I used to sell the products in front of a health center, and sometimes I could only sell several figurines in a day," said Zhang, adding that "with more people attending the night life festival, my income has increased. This is an opportunity for more people to understand the intangible cultural heritage."
In recent years, under the guidance of the local government, many inheritors of intangible cultural heritages have begun to break the past habit of working behind closed doors and are trying to bring their craftsmanship closer to schools and streets.
At the same time, these folk crafts have also been given new life. For instance, today, new images such as Pikachu have also appeared at Zhang's stall.
"Night economy should not just be about eating and drinking, it can have more cultural connotations," said Lin Zhibin, director of the Luojiang district commerce bureau, noting that Quanzhou, as the starting city of the Maritime Silk Road, boasts many intangible cultural heritages.
"Many of these intangible cultural heritages are the common memories of a generation, and they will also attract more people to participate in the consumption of the night economy," Lin said.
