SIP saw a succession of memorable public cultural events over the first half of this year, which attracted more than 100,000 onsite participants.

The “Summer Night in SIP” performing program, which features open stages in public spaces on the right bank of Jinji Lake, brings together expatriates, enterprises’ executives and other performing art enthusiasts to give performances of various kinds. So far, several shows have been held under the program, receiving high praise from the audiences.

Diverse reading events have enhanced the “scholarly atmosphere” across SIP, offering people in the area opportunities to discover new books, and recommend and share books. Among the highlights is the “Reading Bus” service designed to bring readings to cultural tourism destinations, shopping spots, enterprises, communities, residential quarters for young talents, schools, and fire departments, and the reading network that has made paper, electronic and audio books available across SIP.

Apart from that, various events were held in communities over the first half of the year to help residents know better about local intangible cultural heritage elements and offer them opportunities to try traditional handicrafts such as making models of classical gardens, repairing ancient books and paper-cutting.

Moreover, intangible cultural heritage elements were integrated into larger events such as the Jinji Lake Dragon Boat Race to make traditional culture better known among the public.

The Archaeological Site Park of Caoxieshan, a park based on the 6,000-year-old Caoxieshan Site, held the Caoxieshan Spring Party, the Caoxieshan Summer Night Live along with culture lectures and archaeology-themed learning tours.

Additionally, a number of art exhibitions kicked off during this period. The contemporary art exhibition themed “Where the Spirit Returns to”, which opened at Jinji Lake Art Museum in SIP on Mar 16, wrapped up recently. Statistics show that it was visited by about 40,000 people on site, and viewed by about 26,000 netizens on line.

The “Drawing SIP” sketching program initiated by SIP Public Cultural Center plays an important role in expanding public aesthetic education and recording SIP’s evolution through the pens of artists and art enthusiasts. In the 12th session of the program, over 200 participants including artists and university teachers and students created 100-plus works.

July 21, 2025