The 2024 Chengdu Jinsha Sun Festival

Release Time: 2024-02-08

From 8th to 25th February, 2024, Chengdu Jinsha Site Museum will host six exhibitions, cultural performances, ancient Shu rituals and prayers, carnival parades and interactive performances, children's playgrounds, Jinsha cuisine, and other sections, inviting the public to enjoy the ancient Shu lanterns, explore the Inca culture, experience the interesting intangible cultural heritage, etc. and welcome the year of Loong.

Section One: Inca Exhibition: Journey into the Legendary "Kingdom of Gold"

As one of the highlights of this year's Sun Festival, the "Inca - Peruvian Andean Civilization Exhibition" was launched on January 10th. With 168 sets of precious collections from 14 museums in Peru, it comprehensively showcases the development, social life, artistic achievements, and cultural heritage of the Inca civilization, also known as the "Kingdom of Gold," through ingenious scene restoration, digital exhibits, and interactive facilities.

Section Two: Carp and Loong Gate: Giant Lantern Sets Bring New Year Blessings

This year's lantern sets will cover an area of over 4000 square meters and feature the themes "Lanterns Bring Blessings to Jinsha, Loongs Soar for Family Reunion." Divided into four sections - "Ancient Shu Culture," "Festival of Good Fortune and Loong ," "Sun Worship," and "Prosperous Age of the Loong " - these lantern sets showcase the Inca culture, sun worship, ivory, and other aspects of ancient Shu culture, as well as the zodiac culture of the Year of the Loong. The entire Jinsha Site Museum will be transformed into a lively and spectacular world of lights.

Section Three: Visiting the Lunar New Year Flower Market: Renewal and Growth

This year's Jinsha Flower Market, themed "Renewal and Growth," presents a warm, lively, and vibrant garden paradise by replicating Peru's famous natural landscape "Rainbow Mountain" and creating over ten floral landscapes. It showcases the common belief in sun worship shared by people around the world, despite being separated by mountains and seas.

Section Four: Cultural Performances: Over 200 Spectacular Shows

During the Sun Festival, more than 200 performances featuring the integration of ancient Shu civilization, Inca culture, traditional intangible heritage, and other themes will be staged at various times throughout the day. The traditional Shu ritual and carnival parade, which have become annual highlights, will continue to provide audiences with cultural experiences that intertwine the ancient and the modern, the traditional and the contemporary.

Section Five: Appreciating Intangible Cultural Works: Keeping Traditional Crafts Alive

This year's Sun Festival will host an exhibition of Jinsha-themed intangible cultural heritage works, showcasing the achievements of the 2023 intangible heritage teaching practice in schools and the creations of heritage masters. The exhibition will display thousands of sets of intangible cultural heritage works inspired by ancient Shu Jinsha and the Year of the Loong. It will include magnificent works by artisans as well as playful creations by students, giving new vitality to ancient intangible heritage art and illuminating the city with Jinsha culture.

Section Six: Spotlight on Chinese Zodiac: Exploring China's 8,000 Years of Loong Culture

In collaboration with the China Cultural Relics News and more than 50 cultural institutions nationwide, Jinsha Site Museum will co-host a large-scale exhibition on the Chinese Zodiac culture during the Year of the Loong. This exhibition combines the Chinese Zodiac culture with the art of intangible heritage lanterns, showcasing the origins of the Chinese Zodiac culture and the profound connotations of Loongs in traditional Chinese culture through hundreds of cultural relics and artworks.

Section Seven: Craft Experience: Passing Down Traditional Crafts

From the first to the fifth day of the lunar month (10th to 14th February, 2024), Jinsha will hold a dynamic exhibition and experience event showcasing traditional handicrafts under the theme "Ancient Charm in Jinsha: Celebrating the Lunar New Year with Intangible Heritage." Intangible heritage inheritors will demonstrate various arts, such as Sichuan opera face painting, Chengdu colored lanterns, and bamboo weaving. Visitors can also experience more than ten intangible heritage projects, including dough figurines, paper-cutting, rope weaving, and tie-dyeing.

Section Eight: Cultural and Creative Products, Take Culture Home

This year, Jinsha introduces a variety of cultural and creative products for the Year of the Loong. In addition, a special cultural and creative area focusing on Peruvian culture will be set up around the "Inca - Peru Andean Civilization Exhibition," allowing visitors to bring culture home while exploring the exhibition.

Section Nine: Enjoy Parent-Child Time: Little Jinsha Accompanies You Through the New Year

Using modern technology, the festival will feature a children's playground that combines the past and present, East and West, allowing children to experience the joy of interactive games. Jinsha will also organize a series of social educational activities related to traditional Spring Festival customs, such as writing Spring couplets and strips, rubbing of the Chinese Character “福“, and paper cutting, allowing visitors to fully experience the festive atmosphere of Jinsha through activities such as making paper-cut spring flowers, writing couplets, and manual rubbing.

Section Ten: Taste Special Cuisine: Savoring Delicacies from All Over China

At Jinsha's gourmet area, nearly 100 stalls will not only offer traditional Chengdu cuisine but also bring together renowned cuisines from various regions of China, allowing visitors to enjoy a wide range of specialty foods from all over the country without leaving the museum!