Foreign reporters try their hands at shadow play backstage in Baihuazhou Historical and Cultural Block, Jinan, Shandong province, Sept 9. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A group of foreign reporters representing 12 media agencies from countries including the United States, Russia and Japan got the chance to experience a number of intangible cultural heritage items in Jinan, Shandong province, on Sept 9.

They learned about traditional Jinan shadow play and clay sculpting at a traditional handicraft workshop in the city's Baihuazhou Historical and Cultural Block which features many of the city's 126 intangible cultural heritages and traditional handicrafts.

Several journalists tried their hands at Chinese shadow play for the first time under the guidance of Li Juan, a fifth-generation practitioner of the art form who has been learning since childhood.

"You could clearly see that Li took great pride, and joy, in her work, which left quite an impression to me. It was great to see this unique combination of traditional and modern, which is apparent throughout the city," said Yun Se-mi, reporter from AJU News in South Korea, after attempting a shadow play performance on the stage with the help of Li.