Shanxi's heritage takes the spotlight in Geneva

On Sept 25, when Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated, the Chinese permanent mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland, held a reception for foreign diplomats from 120-plus countries and officials from more than 20 international organizations.

The event, which was meant to celebrate the traditional Chinese festival and the 77th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, also featured an exhibition to showcase China's development, science and technology, as well as intangible cultural heritage.

As an important part of the event, the ICH exhibition zone was sponsored by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Shanxi Province and Shanxi Daily, and organized by the Shanxi International Communication Center.

As the only host province of this ICH exhibition, Shanxi attracted attention from guests with its rich portfolio of cultural heritage exhibits.

As one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization, Shanxi has been an active player in international exchanges throughout its long history, including economic and cultural exchanges via the ancient Silk Road since the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) and the booming international trade pioneered by the renowned Shanxi merchants — or Jinshang — during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

In recent years, Shanxi province has again demonstrated an increasingly important role in the Belt and Road Initiative by establishing itself as one of the hubs for the international freight train services that connect to dozens of Belt and Road countries and regions.

Echoing this theme, Yang Xuefei, a knotting artist from the northern Shanxi city of Datong, displayed 48 brooches featuring the national flowers of Belt and Road countries.

"The brooches were made using 'Datong knotting', a recognized ICH craft," said Yang, noting that this centuries-old technique is a combination of fabric knitting and rope work.

"Old as it is, the technique now develops with innovative adaptations to modernity," said the artist, who was making brooches for Swiss guests on-site.

While featuring the edelweiss, a national symbol of Switzerland, the pieces also contained elements of Datong's local culture — the ornamental flying ribbons inspired by the Yungang Grottoes statues, especially the ones called feitian, or apsaras in the Sanskrit language.

"The edelweiss conveys our best wishes to our Swiss friends," Yang said. "The feitian ribbons are reminders of the craft's birthplace — a city famous for one of the finest Buddhist cave arts in China."

She added that Yungang Grottoes were also a witness to flourishing international cultural exchanges in history.