Cultural Heritage in Spotlight at Summer Davos in Dalian

A visitor at the 2019 Summer Davos poses for a selfie with an opera performer at Dalian Night on July 1, 2019, in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Dalian Night,a key cultural program featuring a gala and delicacies held July 1, spiced up the ongoing 2019 Summer Davos held from July 1-3 in Northeast China's coastal city Dalian.

Nine types of local intangible cultural heritage, including Dalian shell carving, Zhuanghe paper-cutting, and Pulandian straw craft, shone as a highlight of the event, offering visitors a chance to wind down and enjoy these unique "cultural dishes" amid heated discussions on the world economy.

The Dalian shell-carving craft, listed as a city-level intangible cultural heritage in 2017, boasts a history of 100-plus years. The craft integrates techniques used in carving jade, wood and stone, and it also borrows from an array of art styles, such as painting, calligraphy, sculpture and seal cutting.

Four visitors to the 2019 Summer Davos pose for a group photo with two mascots at Dalian Night on July 1, 2019, in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

With a painting in mind, shell carvers first sort the seashells they want based on their natural colors, shapes and textures. Then they ingeniously assemble those shells together before carefully sculpting them into an impressive three-dimensional artwork.

As an important platform for promoting the charm of Chinese culture, the Summer Davos has never been short of relevant cultural elements. Through the Summer Davos Forum, more attention from around the world is paid to the history and culture of this Chinese coastal city as well as the rich customs of the southern Liaoning province it embodies, an organizer of the event said.

Two visitors to the 2019 Summer Davos pose for a selfie in front of two lion dancers. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

A shell carving work is made by Jin Ashan in Dalian, a master of Chinese arts and crafts from Northeast China's Liaoning province. [Photo by Zhang Xiaomin/China Daily]