Yanfu Temple in Wuyi county, Zhejiang province. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

The Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism officially announced a list of 12 tourism routes themed around intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items during the Danzhai ICH Week, which started on Oct 18 in Danzhai county, Guizhou province.

One of the 12 tourism routes featured a region in southwestern Zhejiang province that is home to many ICH items and has a large population of people belonging to the She ethnic group.

The 12 tourism routes have emerged from a year-long selection process involving professional evaluation of 160 potential routes recommended by tourism administrations from all over China. The selection criteria include the route's density of ICH items, success in preserving and marketing ICH items, popularity among tourists, and tourism prospects.  

The southwestern Zhejiang tourism route passes through mountainous villages in the county-level city of Yiwu, Yanfu Temple in Wuyi county, Jingning She autonomous county, and a museum in the county-level city of Rui'an that showcases ancient printing and dyeing techniques.

A large number of Dongyang wooden carvings, a national-level ICH item, are well preserved in the ancient architecture of Yiwu's mountainous villages.

Yanfu Temple is one of only three Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) structures still standing  south of the Yangtze River. Its complex wooden structures were once highly praised by world-famous architectural historian Liang Sicheng.

Jingning She autonomous county is home to many She-style residences, shops, and handicrafts, as well as centuries-old arcade bridges.

She people hold some traditional clothing at a local workshop in Jingning She autonomous county. [Photo/IC]