Nearly 700 cultural and art-related activities highlighting Shandong's rich intangible cultural heritage will be held from Jan 17 to Feb 24, the province's fifth intangible cultural heritage month.

The Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism held a news conference on Jan 10 to provide details regarding this year's celebration.

Tourists try their hands at traditional shadow puppetry in Taierzhuang ancient town in Zaozhuang, Shandong province. [Photo/iqilu.com]

A total of 659 activities will be held across Shandong, including an ICH Spring Festival shopping fair, an "ICH + tourism" creative design competition, and a series of activities involving New Year paintings.

Liu Pengxin, an official from the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, said that this year the event hopes to attract more participation among the general public.

The event will also help to boost rural revitalization and targeted poverty alleviation, said Liu.

Folk artists hang newly-made woodblock New Year paintings up to dry in Yangjiabu village in Hanting, Weifang, East China's Shandong province. Yangjiabu village has been a production center of New Year paintings since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). As a national intangible cultural heritage, the art form is one of China's three traditional New Year folk painting styles, along with Tianjin's Yangliuqing and Suzhou's Taohuawu. [Photo/Xinhua]

He added that during the period, the province will also launch ICH-themed tourism routes and promote related performances, shows and exhibitions at the province's scenic spots, all in a bid to promote the province's unique culture.

Shandong is the first province in China to hold an "intangible cultural heritage month". The event has been held since 2016, with more than 3,000 related activities and over 65 million participants in total.

Yang Feng, a practitioner of Rabbit King crafting in Jinan, displays a traditional figurine. The Rabbit King is a traditional toy made from mud for the Mid-Autumn Festival in Jinan. [Photo/Chinanews.com]