Briefly

High-class debut

The 2024 Le Bal des Debutantes, a glittering event for socialites worldwide to be held in November in Paris, France, will feature Lu silk from Gaoping city in southeastern Shanxi province. Representatives from Gaoping signed an agreement with the event's organizers on May 30 for the use of Lu silk as garments and decorations. Lu silk is a variety of product unique to Gaoping — which was called Lu'an in ancient times. With a history of more than 1,000 years, the handmade Lu silk products feature exquisite techniques, complicated patterns and rich colors. The silk-making techniques made the list of national intangible cultural heritage items in November 2014.

Unique goods promoted

Shanxi's characteristic products were exhibited in Beijing on May 31 at a promotional event organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Shanxi event is the first of a series of activities organized by the ministry this year to promote Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions to the international business community. The exhibits from Shanxi included local farm produce and ingredients like millet, daylily flower, beef and walnuts, as well as mature vinegar from Qingxu county, Fenjiu-branded white liquor from Fenyang city and yellow wine from Daixian county. Products in the category of intangible cultural heritage, like Lu silk from Gaoping city, paper-cuts from Zhongyang county and hand-polished lacquerware from Pingyao county, were also showcased at the event.

Replica exhibits praised

During the 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair held in Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province, from May 23-27, cultural and creative products from Shanxi province garnered recognition and praise from visitors. Among the exhibits, the most eye-catching was a 3-meter-high, wood-carved replica of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, a famed structure built nearly 1,000 years ago in Yingxian county. The replica was handmade using the ancient dovetail structuring technique, giving visitors a better understanding of how the oldest such wooden structure in the world was built during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125). Other exhibits, like mini replicas of screen walls in the Zhangbi ancient castle in Jinzhong city and stone lion statues from the renowned Buddhist mountain of Wutai, also attracted the attention of visitors.