Large cultural fair commences

BEIJING, Apr. 07 (Xinhuanet) -- A large exhibition and fair showcasing about 50 intangible cultural heritage items opened on Friday in Xi'an, the historic capital of Shaanxi province.

The Third West China's Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition and Cultural Industry Fair, part of the ongoing 16th Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation between East and West China, attracted more than 300 exhibitors of intangible cultural heritage from 12 provinces and autonomous regions in West China.

The event is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Shaanxi provincial government. More than 5,000 pieces of rare cultural relics from some 70 folk museums in more than 20 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including Shandong, Sichuan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, were also displayed during the exhibition and fair, said Wang Feng'ao, an official with Shaanxi provincial culture department.

Sixty well-known collection agencies from the United States, France and Afghanistan, as well as Chinese provinces and regions including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, attended the exhibition and fair to seek out business opportunities, Wang said.