A branch event of the 2024 Spring Festival Shandong Rural Culture and Tourism Festival kicked off in Lixia district, Jinan, on Jan 18, coinciding with Laba Festival, which is celebrated on the eighth day of the 12th Chinese lunar month.

A total of 85 traditional activities in 21 categories, including calligraphy, painting, intangible cultural heritage (ICH), and handicrafts, will be held from Jan 18 to March 11, the second day of the second Chinese lunar month.

It was announced at the event that three tourist routes in Lixia district, focusing on landscapes, spring water, literary classics, and leisure, will offer opportunities to visit scenic spots and explore the area's culture.

Visitors also enjoyed a variety of interactive experiences at the event, including writing their blessings and wishes for the Chinese New Year, shopping for specialty products for Spring Festival, receiving calligraphy artworks by calligraphers and ICH inheritors, and exploring the folk customs of the 16 cities in Shandong during Laba Festival.

A calligrapher writes the character fu for visitors at the launch ceremony of the 2024 Spring Festival Shandong Rural Culture and Tourism Festival in Lixia district, Jinan. [Photo provided to en.lixia.gov.cn]

Visitors watch ICH inheritors make handicrafts at the launch ceremony of the 2024 Spring Festival Shandong Rural Culture and Tourism Festival in Lixia district, Jinan. [Photo provided to en.lixia.gov.cn]