The 9th International (Shanghai) Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Forum was held at the Shanghai Art & Design Academy on Thursday. Along with the ongoing International Exhibition of Traditional Fine Arts at the Shanghai Art Collection Museum, both the forum and the exhibition are key projects of the Shanghai Culture program, which aims to promote cultural exchanges between Shanghai and its "sister cities" involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. This year's forum is themed "Tracing Art in the Heart" and features speakers from countries such as China, Japan, Austria, Norway, Argentina, Egypt, Colombia, Turkey, Slovakia and Ukraine talking about their practices and experiences protecting intangible cultural heritage.