Booths are set up for the Dasheng Silk Road Intangible Cultural Heritage Season. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Nantong, an important city along the Maritime Silk Road in East China's Jiangdu province, kicked off the Dasheng Silk Road Intangible Cultural Heritage Season on April 19.

The event is part of the 2025 Nantong Jianghai International Cultural Tourism Festival series. It also marks the inaugural activity for a collaborative initiative aimed at the preservation and innovation of intangible cultural heritage along the Silk Road, featuring artists from various countries and regions.

In 1895, Zhang Jian, a modern industrialist, set up the Dasheng textile factory in Nantong. Guided by it, the Dasheng Group has not only achieved remarkable success in the textile industry but also continues to forge ahead on the path of cultural heritage preservation and innovation.

Representatives from over 10 countries and regions along the Silk Road, along with cultural and intangible heritage organizations, heritage inheritors, artists, experts, and scholars, gathered to inaugurate this cultural feast.

Following the opening ceremony, the intangible cultural heritage projects and unique arts from countries and regions along the Silk Road will be showcased at more than 120 booths in the Dasheng 365 Creative Cultural Park.

Gu Feng, former director of the office for the Grand Canal's world heritage site application, emphasized Nantong's vital role in cultural and economic exchanges as a city along the Maritime Silk Road.

Gu expressed the hope that the event will serve as a window to showcase immersive displays and experiences of intangible cultural heritage projects along the Silk Road.