Beijing Olympic Park to showcase China's intangible heritage

Beijing Olympic Park to showcase China's intangible heritage

Thirty special exhibits that showcase China's intangible cultural heritage will be open to many visitors free from Aug.9-Sept.17, during the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, local media reported on Monday.

The "Xiangyun Huts" will be located within the huge Olympic Park, which houses key venues such as the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium and the "Water Cube" National Aquatics Center, said the Beijing Times.

These exhibits, built by 30 provinces and regions, display aspects of the Chinese intangible cultural heritage and traditional ethnic and folk customs and culture.

Kan Ke, Deputy Director of the Games' Cultural Activities Department, said the exhibits would be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day for the athletes and Games officials, as well as journalists, spectators and Beijing residents.

"Spectators who have tickets for Olympic events will be welcome to visit for free on the same day of the event. In addition, we will distribute about 10,000 free tickets every day to Beijing residents," Kan said.

Many exhibits are small, with an area ranging from 70 to 100 square meters, and can only hold up to 20 visitors at a time.

According to Kan, the construction cost 200,000 yuan (about 29,300 U.S. dollars), most of which was contributed by the provinces and regions.

Kan said some exhibits are worth more than 10 million yuan.

"We are hoping that visitors, particularly foreign visitors, will learn more about China through these exhibits," Kan said.

On July 25, Hong Kong star Jackie Chan visited some of the exhibits, becoming the first to see many of them.

The exhibits' themes vary widely. For instance, Beijing's display focuses on Rongbaozhai woodblock printing, handicrafts of Beijing's arts and crafts, Beijing silk figures, hollow bamboo and kites.

The Tibet exhibit features Tibetan medicines, Tangka drawing shows and Tibetan songs and dances. The Guangxi Hut deals with ethnic customs and costumes, songs and dances, and the Taiwan Hut is about art glass. More information is at the official Olympics website (http://en.beijing2008.com/news/official/bulletin/media/n214479275.shtml).