Ten folk culture craftsmen were invited to convey the charm of intangible cultural heritage. Old grannies, little kids and young students were all intrigued with traditional folk arts like Yang Liuqing Woodcut New Year Pictures, circular fan painting and kite making. "It is fascinating to see and to experience traditional arts. It's like talking to the ancient and communicating across time and space," Liu Xiaomei, a sophomore student said. This is the second year for her to attend the crabapple blossom festival.

Surrounded by a crowd, Liu Jun, an artist from Wang Xuezhong Art Institute is intent on drawing crabapple flowers. [Photo provided to exploringtianjin.com]

Within the Wang Xuezhong Art Institute, Sun Guoxi, the Dean of the Institute was introducing the late art master—Wang Xuezhong's drawing works to the audience. He told them to come to see the exhibitions as often as possible, indicating that "a wide range of experience will enhance the understanding of Chinese painting and calligraphy". Wu, a senior citizen said that she had attended this kind of art exhibition for many years and each year left a different impression on her.

Performance by Peiyang Art Troupe in the open air was also very eye-catching. Debuting with the children's choir from the primary school affiliated to TJU, musical instrument performance, cross talk shows, and dances picked up the rhythm and created an animated atmosphere that made flower sightseeing more enjoyable.

The Science and Innovation Route was mainly designed for high school students wanting to consult about college admission and for young children who are interested in science and technology. In the School of Microelectronics, students visited the Laboratory of Smart Chips and Computing System, experimenting practical manipulation and figuring out how fast Artificial Intelligence is developing; in the School of Life and Science, plant and animal samples were put on display; and Xuanhuai School offered a special Lego course to middle school students who were enlightened to the idea of critical thinking.

Going on Exploration Route, visitors toured around the new campus of TJU, exploring the magnificent Zhengdong Library and appreciating the exhibits that showcase the recent achievements made by TJU in Science and technology.

It is reported that there are over 800 crabapple trees on TJU's Weijin Road Campus, most of which have thrived for more than 40 years, the oldest tree being 67 years old. The new campus boasts 1100 crabapple trees that fall into 16 categories.