TAIPEI, TAIWAN - Media OutReach - 15 December 2020 - On December 11, 2020, an online exhibition of Shanxi's Intangible Cultural Heritages themed Great Enjoyment of Shanxi's Splendid Culture in Taiwan Island, was held in Taipei. There were some interesting activities in the exhibition, such as tasting Shanxi noodles, drinking over-mature vinegar drinks, and watching opera performances, making local audiences fully experience Shanxi's rich culture from the perspectives of vision, taste, and hearing, increasing their understanding and recognition of Chinese culture.

The event was jointly organized by the Chinese Culture Association, the Cross-strait Tourism Exchange Association, the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Taiwan China-Hanwei Cultural Promotion Association. In addition to the documentary of Shanxi's Intangible Cultural Heritages and the wonderful lecture video of Professor Tian Qing, an expert on the Intangible Cultural Heritages in the mainland, it also showed the unique handicrafts and snacks of Shanxi Province, such as lacquerware and cloth art. The opera performance themed with the folk puppet "Li Hou Tiger" was specially arranged.

Chen Chunlin, director of the Taiwan China-Hanwei Cultural Promotion Association, said in an interview: "Despite the severe challenge of the COVID-19 epidemic, cultural exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits cannot be decreased or stopped. Since offline communication is difficult for the time being, we have been exploring how to make online activities more exciting." This exhibition is carried by a closer combination of online and offline activities. It is hoped that local audiences can have a better understanding of Shanxi's culture through different activities.

Ren Jiayan, director of the Taipei office of the Cross-strait Tourism Exchange Association, said in her speech that as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, Shanxi was rich in cultural heritages and considered as "museum of Chinese ancient architectures".It had world-famous world heritage sites like Mount Wutai, Pingyao Ancient City, and Yungang Grottoes. "We hope that more Taiwan people will travel to Shanxi and open up new prospects for cultural and tourism exchanges between the two sides after the epidemic", she added.

"Taiwanese tourism industry is inseparable from the mainland market. The mainland is the preferred destination for many Taiwanese," Xiao Boren said in an interview, the president of the Association of Taiwan Travel Merchants Association. "We believe that Taiwanese travel to the mainland will increase in resilience after the epidemic. Therefore, our tourism industry has made full preparation for continuing the promotion of traveling to the mainland after the epidemic."