On January 22, the "2026 Shanghai Spring Festival Celebration: A Taste of Life's Warmth" Spring Festival intangible cultural heritage (ICH) series, organized by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, welcomed its first wave of culinary delights. The launch ceremony of the Culinary Delights segment of the event and the Seminar on China-Chic New Consumption took place at Jing'an Global Connect.
The event was attended by Cheng Meihong, Level-I Bureau Rank Official of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism; Xiao Yeying, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jing'an District Committee and Head of the Publicity Department of Jing'an District; Long Wanli, Deputy District Mayor of Jing'an District; and Lu Junfei, Vice President of Bright Food (Group) Co., Ltd. Together, they launched the Culinary Delights segment.
The ceremony honored individuals and organizations, including the sixth batch of national ICH representative inheritors, for their exceptional contributions to preserving Shanghai's intangible cultural heritage.
ICH food carnival
Experience Jing'an's authentic Spring Festival traditions
That morning, the Shanghai Spring Festival Celebration "A Taste of Life's Warmth · Culinary Delights" — 2026 Jing'an District ICH Food Carnival & Join Buy Group Spring Festival Shopping Festival kicked off in Jing'an Temple business district.
From January 22 to 25, the Bureau of Culture and Tourism of Jing'an District partnered with Shanghai Join Buy Group to host the ICH Food Carnival, offering residents and visitors an immersive experience of authentic Jing'an Spring Festival traditions.
The event showcased not only renowned brands under Shanghai Join Buy Group—including Xiqu Laodafang, San Yang Sheng, Xinchangfa, Lifefun, Taichang, Baiyulan, and Ami—but also featured classic time-honored brands and ICH food brands from across the district, such as Wang Jia Sha, Shao Wan Sheng, Leiyunshang, Dingfeng, and Wenwantai. The array of offerings kept residents and visitors engaged in continuous purchases.
Multiple time-honored brands from Shanghai also joined in, reviving nostalgic Spring Festival flavors for locals. These brands presented products that evoke Spring Festival and childhood memories, such as Wang Jia Sha pastries carrying auspicious blessings, Jinfeng aged wine representing Shanghai's traditional rice wine brewing techniques, the "A Box of Shanghai" gift sets featuring Shanghai-style classics like butterfly cookies and saltish ice cream cookies, along with savory and refreshing Wenwantai pickles and subtly sweet Jinshan Erjie Rice Cakes. Many seasoned visitors, especially older locals, exclaimed in good-natured frustration that "My shopping carts were too small."
Beyond delicious food with a strong Spring Festival vibe, the ICH market featured demonstrations and interactive booths showcasing traditional skills such as incense artistry and making Chinese-style costume knot buttons. These activities allowed residents and visitors to appreciate the craftsmanship of Shanghai-style ICH through both taste and hands-on experience.
Guided exploration
Jing'an ICH Food & Culture Trail
"Welcome to Shanghai, Welcome to Jing'an! I am waiting for you in Jing'an with all our friends at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Salon. Let's discover the most exciting intangible cultural heritage and savor the warmest flavors of life in this Year of the Horse Spring Festival."
At the event, Zhu Xin'ai, the young host of Jing'an Intangible Cultural Heritage Salon, enthusiastically presented the fascinating "Jing'an ICH Food & Culture Trail."
This approximately 2.1-kilometer route connects multiple ICH landmarks across Jing'an, inviting you to experience the most authentic Shanghai-style life through a city walk, discover the beauty of ICH around you, and feel the warmth and dedication of craftsmanship.
You can appreciate century-old tailoring techniques at Humsuit and Longfeng Qipao, savor ICH delicacies and nostalgic flavors at time-honored brands like Wang Jia Sha and Kaisiling Cake, or touch the craftsmanship and urban memories embedded in the Shikumen architecture at Zhang Yuan.
According to the Bureau of Culture and Tourism of Jing'an District, in recent years, Jing'an has been integrating ICH into the city's fabric and modern life. With its vibrant commercial ecosystem, open consumer environment, and creative community, the district has become a natural testing ground and premier stage for the creative transformation and innovative development of ICH. In Jing'an, the dedication of traditional craftsmanship and the innovation of cross-border integration inspire each other, fostering ongoing dialogue and forward-thinking on how to keep ICH alive, relevant, and trending for the future.
Empowering development through a seminar
Time-honored brands meet new consumption
Today, intangible cultural heritage is exploring creative transformation and innovative development through integration with China-Chic elements, giving rise to numerous new products and services that transcend traditional boundaries.
The Seminar on China-Chic New Consumption brought together representatives from cultural tourism, food, retail, and other sectors. They engaged in dialogues on themes such as "Revitalization and Coexistence: Time-honored Brands and Cultural Tourism Co-creating New Consumption Scenarios" and "Modern Expression and Global Development of Traditional Brands." Discussions focused on pathways for the creative transformation and empowered development of traditional brands and ICH skills in the new era, highlighting the proactive efforts and achievements of Shanghai's time-honored enterprises to embrace new consumer markets through product innovation, IP collaborations, channel integration, and scenario redesign.
As vivid examples of cross-border collaborations and brand revitalization among Shanghai's time-honored brands, two "Culinary Delights · Spring Festival Gift Sets" were launched at the event: "Bright Food Selections & Shanghai Gifts" and the "Eat in Shanghai" Spring Festival ICH Gift Set.
The "Eat in Shanghai" Spring Festival ICH Gift Set features products from Shanghai's time-honored brands, primarily Shanghai-style ICH foods, along with handicrafts showcasing ICH techniques. It offers a convenient "one-stop" solution for preparing a Shanghai-style Spring Festival.
The "2026 Shanghai Spring Festival Celebration: A Taste of Life's Warmth" Spring Festival ICH series, structured around four themes—Culinary Delights, Dazzling Brilliance, Ink and Brush, and Artisan Spirit—will run until the Lantern Festival. During this period, hundreds of ICH exhibitions, experiences, and consumer activities across the city will allow residents and visitors to feel the contemporary charm of traditional culture amid the rich atmosphere of the Spring Festival.