Lion dance in Jintang county, southwest China's Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

The Tianfu Orange Township Scenic Area in Sanxitown, Jintangcounty, Chengdu city, hosted the "Chinese New Year" National Intangible Cultural Heritage Tour during the Spring Festival holiday from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, marking the first national Spring Festival in the locality since it was recognized a world cultural heritage.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added "Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional New Year" to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held on Dec. 4, 2024.

This tour brings together 15 well-known intangible cultural heritage projects at national, provincial and other levels from 10 provincial-level regions across the country, including Sichuan Opera face-changing, Shanxi Weifeng gongs and drums, stilt bamboo horse show, Hebei Erxi wrestling, ChaoshanYingge dance, and Xinjiang high-altitude tightrope walking.

The intangible cultural heritage tour also incorporates local silk crafts, earth soul wine, golden dragon lanterns and other traditional skills. Intangible cultural heritage markets and food markets are set up in the park, which not only allows tourists to immerse themselves in the charm of intangible cultural heritage, but also fully demonstrates the unique charm of the mutual promotion and integration of local culture and modern agricultural tourism industry. 

A female tourist surnamed Wang said: "This intangible cultural heritage tour is very exciting. Only in Tianfu Orange Township Scenic Area can you enjoy the intangible cultural heritage of 10 places at one time.”

"The traditional culture is overwhelming, which makes us deeply feel the charm of intangible cultural heritage and the necessity of its inheritance," Wang added.

During the event, the scenic spot received more than 30,000 tourists, with a total operating turnover of 2.1 million yuan ($288,100). During the event, related graphic information, short videos and live broadcasts continued to be updated and the popularity continued to rise.

Tianfu Orange Town, covering an area of 2,300 acres, consists of five major sections: Sweet Orange Flower Valley, Vibrant Little Orange Castle, Wheatfield Orange Factory, Tashui Market Area, and Orange Wood Block. It connects multiple consumption scenes such as parent-child homestays, Orange Castle Park, rapeseed flower fields, and smart orange gardens. 

It is committed to creating a rural revitalization complex with "hill landscape characteristics, orchard endowments, mountain and water views, integration and sharing". 

The project focuses on building a national citrus display window, a modern quality urban green zone, and a high-quality citizen recreation park, effectively enhancing the value added of Jintang's orange industry, driving the coordinated development of the industry, increasing the incomes of the orange farmers, and promoting rural revitalization.