Cultural Heritage

Zhejiang has long been reputed as  "home to silk and tea, land of fish and rice, place of rich cultural heritage and paradise for tourists".  The West Lake in Hangzhou, Mount Jianglang in Quzhou, the Grand Canal (Zhejiang) and the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu ((about 3,300-2,300 BCE) are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, Tiantong Temple in Ningbo, Guoqing Temple in Tiantai are renowned for their profound Buddhist culture. The cultural landscape of Zhejiang, such as the West Lake and Mount Tianmu, has inspired over 400 poets in the Tang Dynasty including Li Bai, Du Fu and Wang Bo who left thousands of poems. Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain in northern Zhejiang is not only one of the birthplaces of China's silk civilization, but also the starting point of the Silk Road in ancient China. Xitang, Wuzhen, Nanxun and other ancient watery towns have all been well preserved. Local products such as Longquan celadon, Hangzhou Longjing green tea, Shaoxing rice wine are all part of Zhejiang's unique culture.  Quzhou Nanzong Confucius Temple and theoretical schools such as East Zhejiang School reflect Zhejiang's rich cultural heritage as Zhejiang's "golden cultural name card".

Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, a major state-level historical al and cultural protection site at the statelevel protected at the national level

Calligraphy, Painting and Opera

Zhejiang plays an important role in China's calligraphy and painting history. The Orchid Pavilion in Shaoxing is known as the sanctuary of calligraphy. Hangzhou Xiling Seal Art Society is China's first academic society that specializes in epigraphy and sphragistics as well as a professional publisher of epigraphy, calligraphy and painting works. Zhejiang Art Museum is of national importance in China. Zhejiang is the birthplace of the ancient classical opera in South China. Tang Xianzu, the great playwright in the Ming Dynasty, wrote the Kunqu Opera The Peony Pavilion, a classical work in ancient Chinese opera.  Known as Shakespeare in the East, he served as a county magistrate in Zhejiang. Yue Opera is among the most influential local operas in China. Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe represents the highest level of Yue Opera performance whose repertoire encompasses classics such as Liangzhu (also known as The Butterfly Lovers) and The Romance of West Chamber. Wuzhen Drama Festival has gained significant influence around the world.

Hangzhou Xiling Seal Art Society 

Intangible Cultural Heritage

Zhejiang has 217 cultural practices or expressions on China's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, including woodcarving in Dongyang, stone carving in Qingtian, boxwood carving and Ou sculpture in Wenzhou. Eight items are inscribed on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The technique of building wooden covered bridges in Taishun, Wenzhou and the movable type printing in Rui'an, Wenzhou are inscribed as intangible cultural heritages in need of urgent safeguarding.

Rui'an Movable Type Printing

Cultural Facilities and Museums

There are altogether 390 museums and memorials of various kinds in Zhejiang, including Zhejiang Provincial Museum, China Silk Museum and China Tea Museum. Zhejiang Provincial Museum is the largest comprehensive museum of humanities and science in the province, with a collection of more than 100,000 items. Zhejiang Library is one of the earliest provincial public libraries in China. Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo is the oldest private library that has been preserved to date in China. Wenlan Pavilion in Hangzhou, Jiaye Hall in Huzhou, and Yuhai Mansion in Rui'an, Wenzhou are all libraries of great prestige.

Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo

Cultural Industy

Zhejiang is reinvigorating its cultural industry with science and technology as a driving force for building up Zhejiang's cultural strength. In 2019, the total added value of Zhejiang's cultural industry reached 460 billion yuan, and Zhejiang ranked the fourth in China in cultural development and productivity indexes, and the third in cultural influence index. Songcheng Performance Development Co., Ltd, Zhejiang Publishing United Group, Huace Media, Zhejiang Daily Media are among China's Top 30 Cultural Companies. Zhejiang Daily Media, Migu Digital Media, Zhejiang Dafeng are  the demonstration bases for integrated cultural and technological development in China.

The Romance of the Song Dynasty, a large-scale stage musical

TV and Film Industry

Zhejiang is one of the regions in China where the most robust TV and film industry flourishes in a fertile land. Thanks to Hengdian, Xiangshan and other TV and film and studios, Zhejiang is fully geared towards becoming the sub-hub of China's TV and film industry. In 2019, Zhejiang's box office income reached 5.018 billion yuan, the third highest in the country, with 130 million viewers. Zhejiang has produced many over-100-million-yuan blockbusters such as Song of Youth and Long Day's Journey into Night. Zhejiang has one of the biggest numbers of TV and film studios and cinemas in China, and is home to 27 listed TV and film companies, topping the national list.

A selection of notable TV and films productions in Zhejiang

Press and Publishing

Zhejiang has 95 newspapers, 236 periodicals and 15 publishing houses. Zhejiang Daily Press Group Co., Ltd. is the first newspaper company in China that has all its operational assets listed on the stock market, and is transforming itself into a digital cultural group. Zhejiang Radio & TV Group, awarded as one of the "Top Ten Brands of Asian Radio and Television", has become the pacesetter of China's TV shows with two variety shows, Sing! China and Running Man. Zhejiang Publishing United Group, one of the front runners in digital transformation of the publishing industry in China, is among China's Top 30 Cultural Companies for 11 consecutive years.

Zhejiang International Film and Television Center of Zhejiang Radio and Television Group

Cultural Exchanges

Culture becomes more vibrant through exchanges and communication. In 2019, Zhejiang carried out 1,752 cultural and tourism exchange programs with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and the rest of the world, and hosted comprehensive cultural and tourism events such as Happy Spring Festival and Beautiful China, Poetic Zhejiang in nearly 60 countries and regions on five continents. Other exchange events held by Zhejiang include Silk, Tea and Porcelain: Intercultural Dialogue on the Silk Road, Ten Thousand People Traveling to Africa and so on.

Zhejiang Cultural Festival in Jordan