A group of teenagers experience the charm of intangible cultural heritages at the newly opened youth education and training base in Wuxi's Liangxi district on Jan 16. [Photo/wxrb.com]

A youth education and training base was set up at Wuxi's T12 shopping complex to help preserve the city's intangible cultural heritages by extending their influence among the next generation.

Covering an area of 3,000 square meters, the arena has brought in more than 20 intangible cultural heritage projects including porcelain carving, tea ceremonies, oil-paper umbrellas, shadow puppetry, letter pressing and cotton manufacturing.

An array of featured courses for local crafts have been added to the regularly scheduled events, expecting to enrich the school life of students, and amplify their knowledge and skillsets. Courses include the production of Huishan clay figurines, purple clay teapots and many other delicate craftworks.

The inaugural ceremony at the base awarded certificates to six national intangible cultural heritage inheritors, and appointed them as experts in charge of demonstrating their craftsmanship to the younger generation.

The base also gave out 5,000 handwork passports designed to encourage every teenager to take up the practice of these cultural legacies. These young people are able to freely participate in the any of the projects.

Throughout its opening period, the base is delivering a series of Spring Festival festivities including paper cutting, writing spring couplets and making bingtanghulu (a traditional Chinese candied fruit snack).

Organized by the education bureau, culture and sports bureau and technology bureau of Wuxi's Liangxi district, the youth education and training base hopes to raise public awareness for the protection and practice of intangible cultural heritages, developing inheritors for these traditional crafts.