The 2025 Jincun Village Temple Fair officially opened on May 5 in Zhangjiagang's Tangqiao town, bringing together intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items from all 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu province.
The 2025 Jincun Village Temple Fair officially opened on May 5 in Zhangjiagang's Tangqiao town. [Photo/WeChat account: zhangjiagangfabu365]
This year's event features three themed zones—"Crafted by Hand", "Flavors of Heritage", and "Trendy Traditions". Through a mix of static exhibitions, live demonstrations, and interactive experiences, the fair highlighted the latest achievements in preserving and developing rural ICH items.
The event also created a dynamic dialogue between tradition and modernity. On-site performances ranged from classic regional operas like Xiju Opera and Suzhou Pingtan to modern folk and China-chic music. Meanwhile, a repurposed grain silo was transformed into a rural art gallery, showcasing 46 works of art. These works, rendered in oil, watercolor, and other media, captured vivid scenes of rural vitalization.
Over a dozen international seafarers docked at Zhangjiagang Port joined the tour, which offered a bilingual experience designed to immerse them in the fair. They enjoyed dragon and lion dances, sampled traditional banquet dishes, and even tried singing the local Tangqiao folk tune Changchun ("Chanting Spring"), gaining a firsthand appreciation for the charm of Jiangnan folk culture.
Adding a futuristic touch, a humanoid robot developed by a local tech firm in Tangqiao wowed the crowd. Powered by AI, the robot provided real-time commentary about the fair to visitors, bringing a high-tech twist to this centuries-old celebration.
At noon, the Tangqiao Steamed Cuisine Heritage Banquet was held on Jincun village's historic street, drawing nearly 200 guests. As a recognized ICH item of Suzhou, Tangqiao's steamed cuisine dates back over a thousand years. By integrating this culinary heritage with local banquet customs, the event offered not only a feast for the senses but also a compelling model for cultural-tourism synergy—uniting tradition, rural development, and city branding.
With roots tracing back more than 800 years to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Jincun Village Temple Fair was listed as a provincial-level ICH item in 2011 and elevated to national status in 2014. Today, it stands as one of Zhangjiagang's most vibrant cultural icons.