A heritage showcase

A display of traditional Chinese culture has been prepared for Winter Olympic athletes from all over the world, Yang Feiyue reports. 

Vivid dough sculptures, statues of tu'er ye (the rabbit god), cloisonne works and lanterns greet the eyes as one enters the Culture China exhibition zone at the new Winter Olympic Village in Beijing.

The exhibition zone covers an area of about 400 square meters and has been designed to be a microcosm of the capital city for the 2022 Winter Games. The ground features an image of the Grand Canal, as if allowing one to follow the canal river into the depths of the zone, where one can observe at close quarters the city's Central Axis, traditional courtyards, as well as more than 100 cultural items that are arranged under the themes of ice and snow, and Spring Festival.

"If you look down on the ground, it is like walking on the banks of the Grand Canal," says Zhang Qian, director of the intangible culture heritage division of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

"In this small space, the essence of traditional Beijing culture has been displayed," Zhang says, adding that visitors can experience culture, as well as the city's development in a three-dimensional way.

The idea is to show traditional culture to athletes from all over the world coming for the Winter Games.

"Craftsmen hope to present the best possible artistic image to guests and friends worldwide in the small exhibition space, so that they can feel the atmosphere of Spring Festival, the ambiance of harmony, enthusiasm and friendship after the tense competition," Zhang says.