LIAOCHENG, China, Oct. 18, 2024 — The 16th China Jiangbei Watertown and Pearl of Two Rivers (Liaocheng) Gourd Culture Art Festival was held in Liaocheng city, Shandong province, an ancient water town in China, from October 12 to 15. The event drew over 7,000 gourd merchants, growers, enthusiasts, and artists from 18 provinces across the country, generating a total transaction volume of 290 million yuan.

Themed “Introducing You to an Extraordinary Gourd,” the festival featured a series of exciting activities, including a Chinese Gourd Boutique Exhibition, a Chinese Gourd Craft Competition, and a Gourd Cultural Innovation Design Competition. The event aimed to strengthen the entire gourd industry chain, encompassing cultivation, processing, sales, and artistic embellishment, ultimately contributing to the comprehensive advancement of rural revitalization and laying a robust foundation for the high-quality development of the gourd industry.

This year’s art festival was jointly hosted by the Liaocheng Municipal People’s Government and the China Cultural Heritage Protection Center, and co-organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Liaocheng Municipal Committee, the CPC Dongchangfu District Committee, and the Dongchangfu District People’s Government.

Since 2007, Liaocheng has hosted 15 editions of this art festival, significantly enhancing its external influence and recognition. The gourd industry is one of Liaocheng’s most representative specialty industries, with a planting area exceeding 30,000 mu, accounting for 75% of the national market share in planting and processing. The gourd industry generates annual comprehensive benefits of 1.6 billion yuan.

As early as 2008, gourd carving from Dongchangfu District of Liaocheng was included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.

Today, gourd has become a symbolic cultural representation of Liaocheng and a powerful driving force for the development of the cultural and tourism industry, a successful demonstration of cultural innovation and creation, as well as a prime example of promoting rural revitalization.

Source: The CPC Liaocheng Dongchangfu District Committee

CONTACT: Contact person: Ms. Zhang, Tel: 86-10-63074558.