Wenshu Monastery celebrates Laba Festival with free porridge

Serving free laba porridge has been a tradition at Wenshu Monastery for over 300 years. The monastery said that by holding the temple fair, it hopes to integrate the traditional festival into people's daily lives, bringing warmth and blessings amid the daily hustle.

Jia Libin, director of Chengdu's intangible cultural heritage protection center, said the monastery has played a vital role in facilitating the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional laba culture.

"The sweet flavor of laba porridge has fostered gratitude, benevolence and family harmony and formed a collective memory and cultural identity for Chengdu people," he said.