English
BBNJ Xiamen
2026-09-28
The 21st session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, organized by UNESCO, will be held in Xiamen, Southeast China's Fujian province, from Nov 30 to Dec 5, 2026.
This marks the first time the conference will take place in China. An information exchange meeting for the session was held on Sept 22 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.
The meeting unveiled the conference logo designed by China, the host country — "Soaring Egret". The meeting also featured a presentation on Xiamen as the host city, covering China's service website and cultural events.
The logo captures the idea of an egret taking flight as a symbol of living cultural heritage. It reimagines the English word "Xiamen", turning its first letter, "X", into a soaring egret.
The design draws on four dimensions — Chinese cultural heritage, Fujian's traditions, Xiamen's distinct character and its global outlook. It also incorporates intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements such as Chinese calligraphy, seal carving and paper-cutting, blending traditional aesthetics with modern design to create a work of depth and vision.
The English text uses Chinese ICH calligraphy, while a red seal bearing "China" in seal script sits in the lower left — a nod to Eastern aesthetics and China's role as host. On the right, the logo incorporates Fujian's distinctive "Fu" (blessing) cultural symbol, carrying wishes for prosperity and harmony that extend from China to the world.
At its center is the egret, Xiamen's city bird, with the letter "X" creatively shaped into a soaring egret, alongside landmarks such as Sunlight Rock and Twin Towers, evoking the island city and suggesting that ICH reaches beyond mountains and seas to the world.
Following international communication norms, the conference name appears in both Chinese and English, connecting with a global audience and helping ICH flourish and endure.
Designed with distinctive Chinese symbols, the logo will appear across all official events — the opening ceremony, plenary sessions of the committee, bureau meetings, press conferences, forums, side events, cultural programs and the "China Moment" performances — conveying the message "a soaring egret, abundant blessings" and extending China's warm invitation to guests from around the world.
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