“Creative Guizhou – Songtao Gift” Selected Designs Announced During the Wujiang Village Intangible Cultural Heritage Carnival

On 15 April 2023 World Art Day, UNESCO announced the finalists of the "Creative Guizhou - Songtao Gift" Call for Designs, followed by an onsite celebration with the finalists organized on 24 April 2023 during "The 2023 Guizhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Season - Wujiang Village Intangible Cultural Heritage Carnival". The Carnival is an annual event co-organized by Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Zunyi Municipality People's Government that features a series of living heritage related activities including seminars, immersive experiences, food and performances.

The event was attended by officials from UNESCO Beijing Office and Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and partner institutions including Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute, Tongren Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sport, Broadcasting and Tourism, and Songtao Miao Autonomous County. Representatives of Traditional Handicraft Guizhou Workstation and other academic institutions, as well as the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, also attended the announcement event.

The "Creative Guizhou - Songtao Gift" Call for Designs was organized under the "Miao Embroidery for a Vibrant Homeland" World Heritage Sustainable Livelihood pilot activity in Songtao, Guizhou Province within the framework of UNESCO - China Youth Development Foundation Mercedes-Benz Star Fund "Conservation and Management of World Heritage Sites in China" Project Phase IV (2021-2024). The 38 selected designs provide replicable and diverse ideas for the in-depth integration of Songtao County's history and culture with modern products, and the building of a cultural brand.

Submitters of the 38 selected designs who attended the event expressed their excitement to receive the recognition from the organizers of the Call for Designs. Many of them mentioned their appreciation to have an opportunity to learn more about the ICH elements in Guizhou Province, especially the regional culture of Songtao and the artistic characteristics of Miao embroidery. Second Place winner of Design for Guesthouse, student from Guizhou Normal University CUI Yawen said, "I felt the profoundness of ethnic minority culture and the urgency of safeguarding living heritage. Traditional village safeguarding should adapt a new approach by integrating our knowledge on design and living heritage to stimulate local economy and promote rural revitalization. Both safeguarding traditional villages and intangible culture heritage should be based on practice and transmission which conforms to modern aesthetics and lifestyles."

The announcement event also included an exhibition of the designs for intangible cultural heritage (ICH) products and packaging created by the trainees from the 4 pilot World Heritage sites (Chishui and Songtao, Guizhou Province, Wolong of Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, and Shilin, Yunnan Province) who participated in the Second Capacity Building Workshop on Living Heritage for Rural Revitalization. These designs from the trainees reflect the efforts put into the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional culture.