Wuhu hosts 2026 Cultural and Natural Heritage Day
By Zhai Wanqian and Xu Xinshan Photo by Wu Anya | wuhudaily.cn
Wuhu hosted the 2026 Cultural and Natural Heritage Day celebrations on Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street on June 27. Organized by the municipal publicity department, culture and tourism bureau and Jinghu district government, the free event ran from 3 pm to 9 pm, drawing a large crowd of residents and visitors.
Focused on the living inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, the event blended traditional performances, immersive experiences, specialty markets and light shows. Three themed sections — the ICH Folk Crafts Exhibition, the Urban Craft Fair and the Cultural Heritage Show — brought heritage out of exhibition halls and into daily life.
The ICH Folk Crafts Exhibition broke away from static displays, featuring local crafts including Wuhu iron painting, Zhu-style brick carving, rice-pith painting, slurry dyeing and pear-syrup candy making. Representative inheritors demonstrated their crafts on site, allowing visitors to observe and participate in hands-on DIY sessions such as iron painting and traditional slurry dyeing.
A dedicated iron painting display showcased the unique charm of a craft built on "iron as the bones, painting as the soul."
More than 50 stalls lined the banks of Jinghu Lake, offering food, cultural and creative products, and handmade crafts. Local food brands including Sijichun, Xiao Dai Roast Duck and Gengfuxing were on hand, while original ICH products such as iron painting artworks, fish lantern accessories and slurry-dyed goods drew young shoppers.
The Cultural Heritage Show began at 7:30 pm on a stage set across the lake, shoreline and sky. Titled "Millennium Jiuzi: Inheriting Heritage, A City of Life: Opening a New Chapter," the gala unfolded in three chapters: Folk Customs Carry Forward Heritage, Opera Rhythms Showcase Heritage, and Songs and Dances Celebrate Heritage.
Performances included the Water Dragon Lantern Dance, the Legend of the Jiu Bird, and the Iron Flower Fire Pot display. Wuwei fish lanterns glided across the lake as the singing of Nanling Mulian opera rang through the night.
The climax came with the iron flower display, sending showers of golden sparks cascading down and shimmering across the water. The audience responded with waves of applause.
Wuhu has established a four-level intangible cultural heritage protection system at the national, provincial, municipal and county levels, with 332 registered items. Wuhu iron painting forging technique, Wuwei fish lantern and Nanling Mulian opera are listed as national-level heritage, alongside 30 provincial-level and 65 municipal-level projects.
The city has recognized 4 national, 36 provincial and 83 municipal representative inheritors. It has built 5 provincial and 10 municipal ICH workshops, supported by 19 provincial and municipal inheritance bases and over 40 offline experience venues. These facilities drive heritage into schools, communities and tourism, passing on Wuhu's cultural legacy to future generations.