Stitching together the strands of culture

On the wooden loom at her stand, Guo gave the audience a measure of the intricacy of the work, as her fingers flew across densely and vertically arranged polychromatic yarns, tying special knots.

"This knot ensures the rug's durability, while the colored threads are for complex patterns," she says, explaining that to ensure verisimilitude, for instance, a dozen of colors of yarn are used to create a single peony flower.

Creative cultural items made in the same way were also on display, ranging from bookmarks to coasters.

"We'd like these small pieces to introduce the art of imperial carpets to the public," Guo says.

During the international event, two forums were held where government officials and experts shared achievements in preserving and passing down intangible cultural heritage and exploring its innovation.

Rao Quan, vice-minister of culture and tourism, says the heritage week was a practical measure to support Beijing's transformation into China's national cultural center.

In recent years, intangible cultural heritage has undergone vigorous development, which has demonstrated the Chinese approach to intangible heritage to the world, Rao says.

He hopes the event will become a platform for promoting cultural exchange and cooperation between China and other countries.

Sima Hong, vice-mayor of Beijing, says the capital is committed to strengthening its intangible cultural heritage protection and inheritance system, and has been promoting creative transformation and innovative development of intangible cultural heritage.