A province rich in local artistic traditions, Zhejiang has cultivated varied and colorful folk culture and arts. Dongyang wood carving, Qingtian stone carving, Wenzhou boxwood carving, and Ou sculpture (oil sculpture) are Zhejiang's unique traditional arts and crafts, known as "Three Kinds of Carvings and One Kind of Sculpture". 

A total of 217 items of folk art have been listed as national intangible cultural heritages, ranking first in China, among which several have been included on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list, such as guqin (a traditional plucked string musical instrument), the craftsmanship of rearing silkworms to spin silk threads, the traditional firing techniques of Longquan celadon, paper-cutting and shadow puppetry.

In addition, traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges and typography are included on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage in need of safeguarding.