On April 1, more than a dozen accordion musicians from across the globe set off on a boat tour from the Suzhou Creek Zhongshan Park Pier, enjoying the scenic views along the creek while playing melodious accordion tunes that bridged Chinese and Western cultures.
Before embarking on the Suzhou Creek cruise, Zhang Shujia, a municipal-level representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of dough figurine making from Changning District, gave the musicians a lively and engaging experiential lesson on the traditional craft.
“They were all very attentive, and you could tell they have a strong interest in Chinese culture,” said Zhang. To make the experience enjoyable for the foreign guests, she and her team carefully chose China’s national treasure, the giant panda, as the creative subject for the dough figurines.
Kimmo Mattila, secretary general of the World Accordion Alliance, said Chinese traditional culture is deeply fascinating. He was very happy to have the chance to personally take part in making dough figurines. He hoped there will be more activities like this in the future to promote cultural exchange between China and the West.
After the intangible cultural heritage experience, the musicians boarded the Suzhou Creek cruise and began a musical journey along the water. The unique “floating concert” became a moving, picturesque highlight of the creek.
The event was part of the 8th International Accordion Culture and Art Week, held under the 2026 “Shanghai Spring” music festival. Over the following week, the Changning District Bureau of Culture and Tourism will join hands with the international musicians to present a series of concerts and flash mob performances.
