Hangzhou is among China’s major centers of traditional arts and crafts design, production, sales, and international trade. Three of our traditional legacies are included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: the Xiling Seal Engravers Society, the Yuhang Clearwater traditional Chinese silk production technique and Hangluo silk weaving technique, and the Zhejiang Tradition of guqin – an ancient Chinese zither.
Hangzhou boasts 44 items on the Chinese National Intangible Cultural Heritage List, ranking first among similar cities.
In 2012, Hangzhou was awarded the title of UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art and joined the global Creative Cities Network.
Hangzhou’s archaeological discoveries include the black pottery of the 8,000-year-old Kuahuqiao Culture and the carved jade cong (a tube with a circular inner section and squarish outer section) of the 5,000-year-old Liangzhu Culture. Present-day Hangzhou is graced by the Chinese Seal Engraving Art Study and Heritage Center and by production centers for traditional porcelain, paper fans, oil-paper umbrellas, and other handicrafts. A variety of traditional opera and modern theater performances also flourish in the city, which advocates preserving tradition while embracing innovative ideas.