(Yu Ping/Xinhua Daily)

The Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism announced on May 28 its plan to celebrate the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, which falls on June 8 this year.

A total of 538 activities, both on-site and online, will be organized across the coastal province, focusing on the protection of relics and intangible cultural heritage (ICH).

Suqian City will host the opening ceremony of the provincial celebration, according to Qian Gang, deputy director of the department. The ceremony will highlight key observation activities, award plaques to museums newly recognized as national first-class, recognize the first ICH workshops at the provincial level, and announce the province’s first travel routes featuring cultural relics. Meanwhile, Jiangsu will release digital ICH-themed travel cards and summer holiday programs.

Furthermore, the event will fully leverage ICH workshops and time-honored brands to showcase crafts, techniques, traditional medicine, gourmet foods and local snacks at the ICH-themed fairs.

Jiangsu will also organize an ICH exhibition to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and a demonstration of ICH items at the national or provincial level, such as traditional music, dance, opera, sports, games and acrobatics.

These activities will also include exhibitions of archaeological achievements, paintings, calligraphy works and ICH-related photographs.