Photo: Courtesy of Forbidden City Concert Hall

In two weeks,MK sports China will welcome the Year of the Snake after the Spring Festival was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in December. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has prepared a series of cultural activities that include exhibitions, temple fairs, and a local Spring Festival gala to celebrate the region's rich traditions and cultural bonds.

On Monday, the launch ceremony for the "Celebrate the Spring Festival in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Museums" series of events was held at the Grand Canal Museum in Beijing to "fully explore the characteristics of traditional festivals, promote the integration of cultural and museum resources, drive mutual engagement, and boost cultural consumption during the holiday season," according to China Central Television.

Featuring around 540 cultural activities organized by museums across the region, the series of events include Chinese zodiac-themed exhibitions, folk custom events, creative cultural activities, and themed museum tours. 

The ongoing exhibition of Coordinated Development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region is one example of these efforts. Jointly organized by the Capital Museum, the Tianjin Museum, and the Hebei Museum, the exhibition displays a total of 398 cultural relics, historical archives, and exhibits, showcasing the historical changes in the urban relationships in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as well as the development of the urban agglomeration layout centered around Beijing. The exhibition will last until the middle of 2025. 

"For activities related to the Spring Festival, we are still finalizing them and will release information to the public soon," Chen Yajing, a publicity officer at the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Additionally, provincial museums, natural history museums, architectural museums, revolutionary memorial halls, and commemorative museums will also collaborate to host special events.

Several museums in the region, including the National Museum of China, Tianjin Museum, and Hebei Museum will also hold Chinese zodiac exhibitions. These displays will showcase artifacts related to Chinese zodiac culture, allowing visitors to explore the rich symbolism and historical significance of the Year of the Snake.

For the first time, the three areas will jointly host temple fairs, which will feature renowned local brands, intangible cultural heritage products, and traditional New Year products. Folk performances showcasing the unique traditions of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei will also be staged, to provide a one-stop cultural experience for visitors. 

The three areas will also collaborate for the first time to record a local Spring Festival Gala. 

Artifacts related to the Year of the Snake from Beijing, Tianjin, and ­Hebei will gather together. Intangible cultural heritage from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will also be integrated into the program by innovative technological means, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship such as Hebei's Ding porcelain, Tianjin's Yangliuqing woodblock New Year paintings, and Peking Opera. Some artists from all three areas will also perform together. 

Throughout the Spring Festival holiday, Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall will host eight performances, featuring a diverse range of art forms including Peking Opera, crosstalk from Tianjin, traditional Chinese music, symphonic music and shadow puppetry from Tangshan, Hebei Province. 

Highlights will include a grand New Year's Day Peking Opera concert on January 29, crosstalk performances by top comedians on January 30, and children's shadow puppet shows by the Tangshan Shadow Puppet Theater on January 31.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will also jointly host a series of activities to give New Year  greetings to locals, conducting 40 key activities such as "garden parties at transportation hubs, major scenic spots, and cultural institutions."

"Taking the first intangible cultural heritage Spring Festival as an opportunity, cultural bonds can be further enhanced among Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei," Sun Jiashan, an associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to Sun, measures such as organizing diverse cultural and folk activities will help "strengthen cultural links, integrate traditional resources and drive the integrated development of tourism and culture in the region."