The opening ceremony brought together distinguished guests from China and abroad.

Chinese dignitaries attending the ceremony included Zhong Yanqun, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the 14th Shanghai Municipal People's Congress; Wang Ronghua, Vice-chairperson of 10th CPPCC Shanghai Committee; Qi Quansheng, Chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Ma Wenyun,  Executive Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Writers' Association; Fu Jihong, First-Level Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and Vice President of the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Xu Jun, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Shanghai International Cultural  Association and First-Level Inspector; Yang Chunhua, Chairperson of Shanghai Library; Hua Wei, President of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai); Jin Lei, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism; Pan Guoli, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Changning District Committee and Head of the Publicity Department; Huang Qi, Chairwoman of the Shanghai Children's Foundation; Zhang Qi, Executive President of the Shanghai Tourism Industry Association and former First-Level Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism; and Huang Haibing, Assistant President of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

Representatives from embassies and consulates attending the opening ceremony included Dario Mihelin, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to China; Özlem Kural, Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Shanghai; Shehzad Ahmad Khan, Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Shanghai; H.E. Rashed bin Mubarak Al-Khater, Consul General of the State of Qatar in Shanghai; Myca Magnolia M. Fischer, Consul General of the Republic of the Philippines in Shanghai; Jindřich Kubovský, Consul General of the Czech Republic in Shanghai; Moulay Zaine Elmoussaoui, Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in China; Zoltán Szőke, Acting Consul General of the Slovak Republic in Shanghai; and Mr. Kutbiddin Ubaydullaev, Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Shanghai.

Also present were leading representatives from the international museum and cultural heritage community, including Goranka Horjan, Treasurer of ICOM and Director of Trakošćan Castle Museum, Croatia; Muhammad Rosyid Ridlo, Director of the National Museum of Indonesia; Zhumabekova Gulayim, Director of the National Museum of Arts of Kazakhstan; Baxtiyor Hasanov, President of the National Historians Association of Uzbekistan and Director of the State Museum of Memory of Victims of Repression; Tjokorda Gde Raka Sukawati, Chairman of the Bali Cultural Arts Foundation and President of the Bali Hotel Association, Indonesia; Gao Shu, Editor-in-Chief of China Intangible Cultural Heritage and Research Fellow at the China National Academy of Arts; Suren Safaryan, President of the Artists' Union of Armenia; Cleo Kim, President of the Korea AI Artists Association; and Asmaa Rochdi, President of the Moroccan Association of Arts and Tourism.

Representatives of the hosting organizations included Hu Muqing, President of the Shanghai Art Collection Museum; Wang Jing, Party Secretary of Shanghai Art & Design Academy; Song Lei, President of Shanghai Art & Design Academy; Wu Penghong, Director of the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center; and Song Nini, Director of the Changning District Culture and Tourism Administration. They were joined by experts, scholars, artists, and members of the media, with approximately 200 guests attending the opening ceremony.

Following the opening ceremony, guests also participated in the accompanying event for the exhibition—the 2026 (14th) International (Shanghai) Forum on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage. (A separate report on the forum will be released.)

Zhang Wenhua

Chinese Tea Branding Ambassador 

Tea Art Performance

MoU Signing Ceremony on the "International Touring Exhibition of Traditional Chinese Arts—Zagreb Station" by Shanghai Art Collection Museum, Shanghai Art & Design Academy, Shanghai Arts Research Center, Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center & Representatives of the Croatian Museum

Signing Ceremony of the Cooperation Agreement for the “Silk Road in Art Exchange Exhibition—Almaty Station” by Shanghai International Cultural Association, Shanghai Art Collection Museum & the National Museum of Arts of Kazakhstan.

Representatives of relevant institutions presented certificates to participating artists

Representatives of governments and professional institutions from various countries, together with sponsors of the exhibition, joined in cutting a celebratory cake to mark the opening of the exhibition

A series of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) interactive experience activities organized by Changning District, Shanghai Art & Design Academy, Songjiang District, and other institutions were also presented at the opening ceremony, offering Chinese and international guests an opportunity to experience firsthand the unique charm of China's intangible cultural heritage.