Huangmei Opera rose from Hubei tea-picking songs to one of China's five major opera forms. Yan Fengying, the 1955 film that sold out cinemas, and why it is easy to love.
Two performers, a pipa, a sanxian and a story that can run a hundred episodes. Suzhou Pingtan is one of the city's three cultural wonders. How the art works.
Shaoxing huangjiu is brewed in winter from glutinous rice, wheat qu and Jianhu lake water. National intangible heritage since 2006, and far more than cooking wine.
A full Miao silver outfit can weigh over 10 kilograms and represent a family's savings. Inside the horned crowns, the hammering villages, and what the motifs mean.
Kesi, or cut silk, is woven one colour patch at a time on a tiny shuttle. Song emperors prized it, one square inch can take a day, and the seams look carved.
In Zhoucheng village near Dali, Bai women stitch cloth by hand before it meets the indigo vat. A national intangible heritage craft, its needle holes and all.
Miao batik in Danzhai, Guizhou uses a copper knife, hot beeswax and indigo vats. A national intangible heritage craft where the accidental crack lines are the signature.
In Taijiang, Guizhou, the Miao Sisters' Meal Festival uses coloured rice, silver headdresses and hidden tokens to conduct courtship. Called Asia's oldest Valentine's Day.
Chinese kites, invented over 2,000 years ago, evolved from military tools to beloved folk art, with Weifang in Shandong Province serving as the World Kite Capital and preserving this UNESCO-recognized
Chinese shadow puppetry is a 2,000-year-old theatrical art form using illuminated leather silhouettes to tell stories, recognized by UNESCO in 2011 as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Chinese paper cutting (Jianzhi) is a 2,000-year-old folk art form that transforms simple paper into intricate cultural symbols, now recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.