A series of cultural events gathering intangible cultural heritage artists nationwide will be held to celebrate Cultural and Natural Heritage Day on June 9, according to an announcement made at the 2018 2nd quarter press conference of China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Tuesday.

Set by the State Council for the second Saturday in June, the festival marks a significant step in China's cultural development and heritage preservation, and is renewing public interest in traditional Chinese culture – especially among younger generations.

This year's highlights include Quyi Week (or Traditional Chinese Ballad Performance Week) held in Tianjin. For the first time all 127 quyi categories on the National Intangible Heritage List will be covered and an international symposium will be held in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, on cultural heritage protection along the Maritime Silk Road.

Wang Chenyang, deputy director of the intangible cultural heritage department under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, stressed the people-centered philosophy of the over 3,700 activities in this year's national campaign.

"To meet people's growing needs for a better life, the celebrations of 2018 Cultural and Natural Heritage Day will be more interactive, inviting more people to learn about traditional Chinese art forms and realize they are already integrated into our way of living," Wang said.

Wang also introduced a number of signature events, such as public classes on intangible cultural heritage, a themed tour in poet Qu Yuan's hometown and film and photography exhibitions about traditional arts.

"We plan to raise public awareness on intangible cultural heritage protection and achieve innovative development of excellent Chinese traditional culture," he said.