In praise of the golden pheasant

A region regarded as a national center for intangible cultural heritage puts its best food forward in nine days of festivities and learning. 

Is it any wonder that they venerate the golden pheasant in this neck of the woods? For this bird seems to have delivered benefits both tangible and intangible, by the beaksful, to Guizhou province thanks to its rich cultural heritage.

Indeed throughout China, Danzhai county in the province is touted as the "hometown of intangible cultural heritage", 145 cultural projects from the region included in the country's intangible cultural heritage list, including seven of national intangible cultural heritage, 22 provincial, and 34 prefectural.

So if any place in the country has the credentials to stage a national get-together related to culture, it is Danzhai, which is exactly what has been happening since May 15 with the second China Danzhai Intangible Heritage Week hosted by the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, which continues until Sunday.

China's top 10 intangible heritage skills, such as rolling lights, stone locks, and wind and fire meteors have been on public display, a rare event in which attendees were able to enjoy a visual feast.

During the nine-day heritage event, the county has also brandished its cultural credentials by highlighting the Miao and Dong ethnic groups and their contribution to the enterprise of intangible cultural heritage.