Fourteen intangible cultural craftsmen hold a ceremony on July 12 to mark the end of their three-year apprenticeships. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Fourteen intangible cultural craftsmen who have learned from professionals for three years, held a ceremony on July 12 to mark the end of their apprenticeships, local media outlets reported.

The craftsmen are engaged in fields such as embroidery, fan-making, bloodstone-carving, jade-carving, and porcelain-making of the Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Kiln.

They donated their works to the Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum, an organizer of the master-and-apprentice program, and will carry out lecture and exhibition tours to teach more people about Hangzhou's intangible cultural heritage items.

"In the arts and crafts industry, we need not only learn the necessary skills, but also learn about virtue," said Gao Lihong, an apprentice in the embroidery group. "I was impressed by my teacher's adherence to craftsmanship, devotion to perfection, and good manners in dealing with people."

The master-and-apprentice program, which was initiated when Hangzhou was included by UNESCO in its Creative Cities Network in 2012, has been held for two sessions and will begin its third session soon.

The program was co-sponsored by the Hangzhou Municipal Publicity Department (Municipal Cultural Innovation Center), Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, and Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Garden and Cultural Relics.