On August 5, Sichuan media, in collaboration with the Sichuan and Chongqing cultural and tourism authorities, hosted a themed live stream entitled "Bashu Through Craftsmanship". The programme visited the Sugar Industry Museum in Shizhong District, Neijiang, focusing on the traditional red sugar-making techniques of Neijiang, which are recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage. It offered viewers an immersive experience of the passion and dedication of the artisans behind the sweet scent of sugarcane in this "City of Sweetness", whilst exploring the unique sugar culture of Southern Sichuan.

The Sugar-Making Process

Following the museum's visitor route, this live stream combines a variety of content—including the origins of the exhibits, demonstrations of traditional crafts, educational experiences and a showcase of cultural and creative products—to reveal the many facets of the Sweet City's sugar culture online.

Stepping into the museum's exhibition space, the presenter guides viewers through the traditional courtyards and corridors, pausing to examine the artefacts from old sugar mills and the yellowed historical documents and photographs. Through displays of artefacts, recreated scenes and multimedia presentations, the five themed exhibition halls vividly recount the origins of "Neijiang, the City of Sweets".

The live broadcast then shifted its focus to the area where sugar was being boiled in large cauldrons, where an intangible cultural heritage inheritor demonstrated the entire process of making traditional brown sugar using ancient methods. The camera captured close-up shots of the artisan's masterful techniques, vividly showcasing the handcrafted skills passed down through generations and enabling online viewers to appreciate the essence of this intangible cultural heritage: "slow work yields sweetness".

Sugar Painting Workshop

In the educational experience space, the live stream kicked off the interactive session. The presenter took part in a hands-on sugar-making demonstration, simulating the sugar-making process and experiencing first-hand the joy of practising this traditional craft.

This joint live-streaming event between Sichuan and Chongqing, grounded in the coordinated development of culture and tourism within the Chengdu-Chongqing Dual-City Economic Circle, takes "Sweet City's traditional cane sugar" as its starting point and utilises the Shizhong District Sugar Industry Museum as a window for cultural dissemination, effectively telling the stories of the Sweet City's intangible cultural heritage online.