On June 11, Tianjin University (TJU) held the first Traditional Culture Festival and the “Tianjin Culture Treasure Display at Tianjin University” activities, which were sponsored by the TJU College of Management and Economics. The rich cultural display and activities attracted numerous faculty, students and citizens.

Culture Treasure refers to the existing culture and intangible treasures. Traditional cuisine, traditional arts and crafts, painting and calligraphy, and performing arts were displayed on the Tianjin University campus such as, Chinese painting, Yang Liuqing Woodcut New Year pictures, paper cutting, sugar painting, pyrography, clay sculptures, Bajiquan, Taiji sword-play, Peking Opera, Go-believe steamed stuffed bun, Guifaxiang 18th Street Fried Dough Twists and Chinese savior crepe. Around 20 promoters of existing treasure were invited to Tianjin University who were possessors of intangible cultural heritage, renowned martial artists, college students interested in existing treasures and art lovers from Tianjin.

At the site of the festival, “existing culture treasure” promoters shared the development of these “treasures” to the students with live demonstrations. The students experienced "culture treasures" at various stands to learn more about traditional culture. At the booth of Go-believe steamed stuffed bun, the students made 18-pleats steamed stuffed buns with the guidance of the promoter.

The staff of Guifaxiang 18th Street Dough Twists came to the stand early to introduce the students to the production of the Dough Twists. They provided everyone with the recently introduced spicy and tomato dough twists. The traditional dough twists have now become more and more fashionable.

Mr. Li Yuliang, an international master of arts and crafts, and a possessor of intangible cultural heritage, brought Tianjin style pyrography. People and animals came alive and the landscapes were lifelike and full of vitality. Mr. Li showed skills for the students on the spot and exchanged views with the students.

Mr. Tian Ye, a first-class master of sugar painting and a folk artist, exchanged views on the history and development of sugar painting with the students. He also made all kinds of sugar paintings including the most popular pig Peggy. The students also made their own sugar paintings under the guidance of the artist.

Mr. Jiang Guoguang, an international master of arts and crafts, and master of clay sculpture, patiently guided the students to make clay sculptures: “Look, a small seal is taking shape!” they marveled.

Li Xintian used water as ink to write on the floor. Mr. Li not only showed his work to the students, but also introduced basic knowledge of calligraphy to the students and exchanged experiences of calligraphy. The students practiced brush calligraphy under the guidance of Mr. Li and the international students perfectly completed calligraphy in the Ouyang Xiu style.

Yang Liuqing woodcut New Year pictures were very popular in this cultural festival. Mr. Huo Qingshun, a sixth-generation descendant of “Yuchenghao Painting House”, and a national-level possessor of intangible cultural heritage, brought in a Surplus Year After Year woodcut that was created 100 years ago and guided the students to create New Year pictures. The students all hoped that there would be more such activities to learn more about excellent traditional culture on campus.

Zhao Xuan from the Wang Xuezhong Institute of Arts at the Tianjin University fashioned bamboo and landscapes on the spot. Some students began to draw their own pictures with pens and Chinese paintings slowly emerged on the paper.

Mr. Shang Jun, a member of the Chinese Association of Folk Literature and Artists, showed everyone exquisite paper cutting, which attracted many students. With a pair of scissors and colored paper, the students all created beautiful works under the guidance of the teacher. They all experienced the charm of paper cutting.

Mr. Liu Heng, a ninth-generation descendant of Bajiquan and a sixth-generation disciple of Chinese shadowboxing, performed Bajiquan and shared basic knowledge of martial arts.

Yang Zhiqun of the Peking Opera Association performed Peking opera and gained warm applause.

To promote a humanities quality-oriented education at Tianjin University, the College of Management and Economics held “Tianjin Culture Treasure at Tianjin University” activities with innovative forms of cultural activities and to broaden the scope of cultural education. With the aim of carrying forward Chinese traditional culture and strengthening cultural confidence, the series of activities enlivened the atmosphere of the campus and received great feedback. In the early stages of the research, the volunteers visited many promoters and discovered a variety of “existing treasures” in Tianjin. At this traditional cultural festival, the promotion of Tianjin's folk cultural treasures enhanced students' sense of identity in Tianjin's history and culture.