Five inheritors of Wuxi intangible cultural heritages demonstrate their arts and crafts works, with Wuxi KOLs and expats showing their paper-cutting works learnt from Feng Zuansun, the woman on the left of the first row. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Several native inheritors of Wuxi intangible cultural heritages gathered together at a Chinese culture themed KFC restaurant on Jan 27. Their New Year arts and crafts works, encompassing Huishan clay figurines, Wuxi Embroidery, bamboo carvings, Yixing purple clay teapots, and Chinese paper-cutting, were displayed and the skills behind them were discussed.

This event was part of a series of activities themed with Chinese intangible cultural heritages jointly launched by KFC and the National Museum of China, aiming to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, the Year of the Pig, and to highlight the significance of the heritage and innovation of traditional culture.

Qiao Yu, the inheritor of Liuqing Bamboo Carving, discusses the cultural implication of her work. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Apart from the inheritors being invited, there were also some Wuxi KOLs and expats participating in the activity. Under the instruction and help of the paper-cutting master Feng Zuansun, a large number of them successfully finished the paper-cutting work demonstrating a heart within a heart.

Umar, an exchange student in Jiangnan University from Pakistan said, "Among the five kinds of Wuxi folk arts, I'm most interested in the cute pigs made of Huishan clay," and he also expressed that he would practice his Mandarin so that he could learn and experience more Chinese culture during his stay here.

The event presented a New Year atmosphere with the KFC national-skill-themed buckets, and traditional Chinese culture presented new vitality when integrated with modernity. According to Ma Han, a native writer who also participated in the activity, it is crucial to pass these national skills generation by generation, and to derive new classics in the new era.