Experience the Charm of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Appreciate the Beauty of Xinjiang The 2025 Manas and Muqam Art Exchange and Tourism Promotion Event is set to launch in Shanghai.

In the spirit of the important speeches and directives delivered during the 70th-anniversary celebration of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and to deeply advance cultural enrichment and tourism development in Xinjiang, the "Experience the Charm of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Appreciate the Beauty of Xinjiang – 2025 Manas and Muqam Art Exchange and Tourism Promotion Event," hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, will grandly open in Shanghai on October 27. This event marks Xinjiang's first cross-regional cultural exchange and diverse exhibition centered on Manas and Muqam art, both inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, focusing on the deep integration of intangible cultural heritage and tourism. It signifies a new stage in the integrated development of Xinjiang's intangible cultural heritage and tourism.

This event will comprehensively showcase Xinjiang's rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage resources and its uniquely charming tourism landscape through various forms, including Manas and Muqam art performances, tourism promotion integrating intangible cultural heritage, a Xinjiang intangible cultural heritage and tourism photography exhibition, and cooperation signing ceremonies. Representatives from six regions—Changji Prefecture, Hami City, Turpan City, Aksu Prefecture, Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, and Kashgar Prefecture—will jointly take the stage. Through heartfelt narratives and audio-visual presentations, they will lead Shanghai residents on a "cloud tour" of Xinjiang, allowing them to experience the majestic vastness of its natural resources and the unique charm of its intangible cultural heritage. Performers from the Xinjiang Muqam Art Troupe will present spectacular live song, dance, and music performances, offering the audience an up-close experience of Xinjiang's intangible cultural heritage.

As a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation, the epic "Manas" embodies the spiritual beliefs of the Kirgiz ethnic group, while Muqam art, with its integrated form of song, dance, and music, showcases the brilliant splendor of Uygur culture. Additionally, Xinjiang boasts 141 national-level and 674 autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage projects, collectively forming an important part of China's excellent traditional culture. The event venue will feature an intangible cultural heritage and tourism photography exhibition, where hundreds of exquisite images will collectively display Xinjiang's natural scenery and intangible cultural heritage, offering a visual and cultural feast for the audience.

In recent years, Xinjiang has leveraged the deep integration of intangible cultural heritage and tourism to create a series of national intangible cultural heritage theme tourism routes, such as the "Kashgar Folk Intangible Cultural Heritage Theme Tour" and the "Yili River Basin Multi-ethnic Intangible Cultural Heritage Theme Tour." It has also built immersive experience platforms like the Xinjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, intangible cultural heritage workshops, and intangible cultural heritage markets, promoting intangible cultural heritage from "coming alive" to "becoming popular." This visit to Shanghai is not only a concentrated display of intangible cultural heritage charm but also an important opportunity for cooperation and exchange in intangible cultural heritage protection between Shanghai and Xinjiang.
It is reported that after the Shanghai event, the Xinjiang Department of Culture and Tourism delegation will also visit Suzhou, Xiamen, and Beijing to conduct a series of promotion activities, continuously expanding the reach and influence of Xinjiang's intangible cultural heritage and tourism. This aims to attract more tourists to Xinjiang to experience the beauty of its intangible cultural heritage and the grandeur of its landscapes, jointly writing a new chapter where "poetry and the distance" intertwine.

Post by RILEY TERRY | Oct 24, 2025