Foreigners visit a stall featuring distinctive handicrafts. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Jiande city in Hangzhou welcomed hundreds of young Chinese and international talent with a series of Song Dynasty (960-1279)-style celebrations for the Laba Festival, the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, which fell on Jan 18 this year.

On the banks of the Yudai River, the young talent placed lotus lanterns, as if lighting up their countryside dreams. The next morning, 40 of them gathered at the millennium-old Yuquan Temple to ring the bell, heralding the opening of the first "Celebrating the New Year in Jiande" event.

Various activities were held on stage, allowing young people to immerse themselves in a large-scale cultural feast of intangible heritage.

Inside the ancient town of Yanzhou, the aroma of the New Year wafted from five large pots as young talent participating in the event cooked together, offering traditional Laba porridge to local residents. The Song Dynasty-style fair on Longshan Academy Square was also lively, with young talent taking the role of intangible cultural heritage inheritors and experiencing the unique local intangible cultural heritage items. The market also featured a special international product area, where young international talent became stallholders to promote specialties from their respective hometowns.

In the evening, the Guidebook to Jiande for young talent was released, and a number of international youth were awarded honorary villagers' certificates, demonstrating the city's eagerness for them to realize their dreams in the village.

Since September 2023, Jiande has been encouraging its towns and villages to organize activities such as "Celebrating the New Year in Jiande" to attract talent who appreciate rural values, promoting rural culture, and developing rural resources.

Two foreigners play with fish lanterns. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]