Folk handicraft fair expected to be a big draw

Ethnic culture will play a more significant role in introducing Guizhou province to the world, especially when the region is experiencing a period of rapid development, a senior official said.

Handicraft ornaments and jewelry, especially those made of silver, play an integral part in ethnic Miao culture. The handiwork involved in silver making is an important way to increase people's incomes and boost local cultural influence, said Yang Huachang, deputy Party chief of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province, where the Miao ethnic group accounts for 42 percent of the population.

Yang made the comments at a news conference on Monday, welcoming both domestic and overseas guests to the upcoming Original Ecological Folk Culture and Art Festival and 2013 China (Guizhou) International Folk Artworks Fair. Both will start on July 23 in Kaili, capital city of the Qiandongnan prefecture.

According to Yang, more than 500 companies from 18 provinces and regions are expected to participate in the fair. Some 100 handicraft companies from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and other countries and regions are also expected to attend.