Visitors stop by Taizhou's booth at the 2025 Foire de Paris, which runs from April 30 to May 11. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

More than 200 traditional crafts and cultural artifacts from Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, are on display at the 2025 Foire de Paris, marking the city's third appearance at one of Europe's oldest and largest fairs.

Founded in 1904, the Foire de Paris is a major retail and cultural event that attracts global exhibitors and millions of visitors annually. Originally designed to promote French industry and creativity, it has evolved into a platform for cultural diplomacy and cross-cultural exchange.

Handcrafted items show the heritage of Taizhou. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Taizhou's delegation this year is centered on Hehe culture — a regional philosophy rooted in harmony and integration. The concept, with Confucian and Buddhist origins, emphasizes coexistence, tolerance, and inner balance.

In recent years, Hehe culture has become a cultural export for Taizhou, with increasing efforts to share it globally through literature and exhibitions.

A wood sculpture symbolizes the interconnected roots of Hehe culture. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Among this year's exhibits is yi gen teng, a woodworking technique unique to Tiantai county in Taizhou. Craftsmen shape and join flexible wooden strips using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery, forming uninterrupted floral latticework. Regardless of where a finger begins tracing the pattern, it always returns to its origin — a metaphor for unity through difference.

In addition to physical crafts, the city is presenting bilingual publications such as This is Hehe Culture, which introduces the history, development, and ideas behind Hehe culture through stories, parables, and local legends.

Booklets on Hehe culture offer visitors a glimpse into Taizhou's philosophy of harmony. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]