Cantonese water chestnut cakes. [Photo/WeChat account: gz_baiyunfabu]

Twelve items from Guangzhou's Baiyun district have been included in the city's ninth batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage, comprising six new entries and six expanded categories.

The new additions span folk literature, traditional craftsmanship, sports, fine arts and medicine. Traditional culinary skills dominate the list with seven entries, including water chestnut cake making, hand-pulled noodle production and Taihe roast chicken preparation, reflecting Baiyun's deep-rooted Cantonese food culture.

Notable new items include the Baiyun Mountain Nengren Temple folklore, which has been passed down orally for nearly two centuries, and traditional hair accessory making, characterized by lifelike dragon, phoenix and kapok flower motifs created through hammering, welding and inlaying techniques.

Wing Chun martial arts. [Photo/WeChat account: gz_baiyunfabu]

Crochet knitting, with a history of over 100 years in Guangzhou, was also recognized for its distinctive artistry.

Among the expanded items, Wing Chun martial arts — a branch of kung fu — in Baiyun has developed a systematic teaching curriculum, while hand-pulled noodles produced locally command the largest market share in Guangzhou.

With the latest additions, Baiyun now has three provincial-level, 21 municipal-level and 27 district-level intangible cultural heritage items.