Saudi Arabia holds int'l handicrafts week with China making debut exhibition

RIYADH, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The second Saudi International Handicrafts Week concluded here on Saturday at the Roshn Exhibition and Convention Center, gathering over 500 artisans, cultural representatives, and entrepreneurs from more than 20 countries.

The event, hosted by the Heritage Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture and starting on Nov. 23, aimed to promote international cultural exchanges and cooperation and has attracted more than 500,000 visitors.

Apart from the exhibition of key Saudi intangible cultural heritage techniques, such as Al-Qatt Al-Asiri and Sadu weaving, interactive workshops like date palm leaf weaving and pottery making also allowed visitors to engage with Saudi traditions.

Immersive experience areas, including a children's ceramics workshop, were designed to engage the audience, especially young visitors.

China made its debut through an exhibition curated by Suzhou Ourui Group that featured 11 national intangible cultural heritage skills, with paper cutting and sugar painting becoming a crowd favorite.

"I hope that through this exhibition, more people will understand the charm of traditional Chinese handicrafts and look forward to more cooperation with Saudi craftsmen in the future," Shi Dongmei, who was in charge of the rosewood carving booth in the Chinese exhibition area, told Xinhua.