Over 400 culture and tourism professionals and media workers attend the opening ceremony for the 2nd China (Zibo) Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Conference in Zibo, Shandong province on Oct 30. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2nd China (Zibo) Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Conference opened in Zibo, Shandong province on Oct 30 to promote the sharing and preservation of China's intangible culture, as well as the integration of culture and tourism.

"We will seize this opportunity to strike a balance between protecting intangible cultural heritage and profiting from related industries," said Yu Haitian, mayor of Zibo, during a welcome speech.

A traditional drama is performed in the exhibition area. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The conference consists of an exhibition and a fair for visitors to experience China’s time-honored heritage and creative cultural products. Over 200 inheritors from around the country are presenting their skills and products.

According to local media, the city of Zibo currently boasts 13 national-level intangible culture heritage items, 54 provincial-level intangible cultural heritage items, and 29 inheritors.

Zibo will use the conference and exhibition as an experience and consumption platform to integrate its intangible cultural heritage with its culture and tourism markets, which is in line with the goal of the ongoing Shandong Cultural consumption season.

A folk artist performs Shandong kuaiban, a type of traditional oral storytelling featuring comic dialogues and clapper talk. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]