During French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the U.K. in January 2018, he pledged to lend the Bayeux Tapestry, a national treasure of France, to the U.K., dubbing the move as “tapestry diplomacy.” Just as precious as the Chinese scroll painting masterpiece Qingming Festival at the Riverside, the Bayeux Tapestry was made over a millennia ago, and was listed on the Memory of the World list by the UNESCO in 2007.

A bushy grey beard, a Hawaiian shirt, and a cap embroidered with his name make up the trademark of Mark Levine who often sings country music melodies about China while playing the guitar. The American man wears many hats — a doctor of sociology, a country music guru, and a professor at Minzu University of China.

HANCHENG, a city in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, is renowned as the hometown of Sima Qian, a legendary historian in China’s Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 8) and author of the Records of the Grand Historian. Also known in ancient times as “Longmen” or Dragon Gate, Hancheng was built during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC). It is part of the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration along the banks of the Yellow River. Throughout history, the city experienced much political turmoil and reconstruction. Various archaeological discoveries were made in the city, which include the ruins of vassal states in the Western Zhou Dynasty and large frescoes from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), all of which have added to the many stories this city has to tell.

In December 2020, the documentary film Rooted in the Soil directed by Chai Hongfang for the CCTV news channel premiered nationwide. Based on China’s poverty alleviation endeavor, it took nearly four years to produce and can be considered a distilled version of the journey and eventual culmination of that goal.

To most people, an eggshell is something that gets tossed into the garbage can. But to Zhao Wei, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of eggshell painting, it provides a canvas on which to create mini-masterpieces. Over the years, with innovative ideas and exquisite craftsmanship, Zhao has resurrected the ancient art of eggshell painting and developed a growing following.

Tucked away in the depths of a mountain gorge in China’s northeastern region lies a quaint picturesque village called Songling Snow Village. Different from other villages in Northeast China that have developed ice and snow tourism, Songling Snow Village has maintained its original environment with a much less commercial flavor. For those who desire to have the authentic experience of life in Northeast China, Songling Snow Village is an ideal place.

Philippe Herman Dequesne, a Belgian painter who lives and works in Paris, was born in Brussels in 1954. After graduating with a degree in architecture, he worked for 15 years in an architectural firm until 1996 when he quit his job to take up painting.

The people of the Kazakh ethnic minority in China are principally distributed in Mori and Barkol Kazakh autonomous counties in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Aksay Kazakh Autonomous County in Gansu Province. From ancient times to the present day, the ethnic Kazakhs have occupied themselves with an animal husbandry economy, while living a nomadic life. Over the long evolution process, their folk costumes have gradually changed to meet the needs of nomadic migration in the mountain grasslands, resulting in the formation of both a practical and attractive style that incorporates the group’s history.

Compared with large state-owned museums housing rich collections, changes in private museums and industrial museums can better reflect social changes. The remarkable increase in China’s manufacturing capacity and the great abundance of materials both verified Chinese people’s advances on the road to a well-off society.

SITTING like a precious jewel inlaid in the mysterious frontier of the Sichuan-Yunnan region lies the breathtaking Lugu Lake. It is one of the highest lying lakes by altitude in China’s interior region. The lake is located at the junction of Yanyuan County, Sichuan Province, and Ninglang County, Yunnan Province. It is also one of the deepest freshwater lakes in China with depths reaching over 70 meters at the deepest point and 40 meters on average.

Ethnic Koreans is a minority group in northeast China, whose culture is profoundly associated with the history of the Korean Peninsula. Their colorful traditional outfits embody the spiritual outlook of the ethnic group, and enrich the treasure trove of Chinese clothing art.

A recent trendy cultural variety show is inspiring people to rediscover the Summer Palace, a royal garden in Beijing built about 270 years ago. The show, with its artful and entertaining revelation of the globally renowned palace’s scenic beauty, cultural relics, and history, has attracted billions of views and comments online.

The year 2020 marks the 600th anniversary of the completion of the Forbidden City and is the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Palace Museum. The Palace Museum, in addition to being the epitome of ancient Chinese urban construction and palace building design, is a material carrier of the tradition of Chinese rituals and music and their long history. From the Forbidden City, a symbol of royal power, to the Palace Museum, which is open to the public, what is the past and present story of this place?