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  • China Intangible Cultural Heritages

    China Intangible Cultural Heritages (ICH) refer to the living cultural traditions that are passed down through generations, including oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, traditional craftsmanship, and knowledge of nature. According to UNESCO, ICH represents cultural expressions recognized by communities as part of their heritage. In China, these traditions—such as Peking Opera and Chinese Calligraphy—are essential to understanding the country’s cultural identity and historical continuity.

    A key feature of intangible cultural heritage in China is its strong connection to daily life, local traditions, and community practices. Unlike tangible heritage, ICH relies on human transmission, often passed down through oral teaching, performance, and hands-on skills. This makes it highly vulnerable to modernization, highlighting the importance of ICH inheritors, who play a crucial role in preserving and continuing these traditions. China has established a comprehensive four-level protection system (national, provincial, municipal, and county) to safeguard these cultural assets.

    China is one of the leading countries in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage listings, with over 40 recognized elements, making it the country with the largest number of listed items. These include globally known traditions such as the Dragon Boat Festival and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, as well as diverse regional practices across provinces like Yunnan and Guangdong. Together, these elements showcase the richness of Chinese traditional culture and the country’s ongoing efforts in cultural preservation and sustainable heritage development.

    UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance. This list is published by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the members of which are elected by State Parties meeting in a General Assembly, which UNESCO has identified as an essential component and as a repository of cultural diversity and of creative expression.

    China engraved block printing technique

    China engraved block printing technique

    The traditional Chinese engraved block printing technique, inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, is a meticulous craf...

    Chinese calligraphy

    Chinese calligraphy

    Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Chinese calligraphy, or "shūfǎ" (书法), is a traditional form of writing that transcends ...

    Chinese paper-cut

    Chinese paper-cut

    Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Chinese paper-cutting, or jiǎnzhǐ (剪纸), is a revered folk art form that has been integr...

    Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures

    Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures

    中国传统木结构营造技艺  Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humani...

    Mongolian art of singing, Khoomei

    Mongolian art of singing, Khoomei

    中国蒙古族呼麦  Mongolian art of singing, Khoomei Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity The Mongolian art of singing: Khoomei, or Ho...

    Kun qu Opera

    Kun qu Opera

    昆曲  Kun qu Opera Inscribed in 2008  on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2003) The Chinese zither, called guqin, has...

    Dragon Boat Festival

    Dragon Boat Festival

    Dragon Boat Festival, known as 端午节 (Duānwǔ Jié) in Chinese, is a traditional holiday that is celebrated annually on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar. Here are som...

    Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group

    Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group

    中国朝鲜族农乐舞  Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Gathering in fields or villages...

    The Guqin and its Music

    The Guqin and its Music

    古琴艺术  The Guqin and its Music Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2003) The Chinese zither, calle...

    Qiang New Year festival

    Qiang New Year festival

    羌年  Qiang New Year festival Inscribed in 2009 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding The Qiang New Year Festival, held on the first day of the t...

    Productive protection is one of the main ways to protect intangible cultural heritage in China. It refers to the way to transform intangible cultural heritage and its resources into cultural products by means of production, circulation and sales, with the authenticity, integrity and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage as the core and the effective inheritance of intangible cultural heritage skills as the premise. At present, this protection method is mainly implemented in the field of intangible cultural heritage such as traditional techniques, traditional fine arts and traditional medicine and drug processing.

    The national Eco-cultural Preservation Area refers to a specific area set up with the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which takes the protection of intangible cultural heritage as the core and carries out overall protection of cultural forms with rich historical and cultural accumulation, good survival status, important values and distinctive features. The "Intangible Cultural Heritage Law of the People's Republic of China" implemented since June 1, 2011 stipulates that "for specific areas where representative projects of intangible cultural heritage are concentrated, distinctive in characteristics, and complete in form and content, the local cultural authorities can formulate special protection plans and implement regional overall protection upon approval by the people's government at the corresponding level".

    Minnan Eco-Cultural Preservation Area

    Minnan Eco-Cultural Preservation Area

    The Minnan Eco-Cultural Preservation Area (闽南文化生态保护区) is a national-level cultural and ecological preservation zone approved by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in December 2019...

    To standardize China’s intangible cultural heritage protection work, the State Council issued the notice on strengthening the protection of cultural heritage and make a 4-level protection system, namely Nation-Province-City-County protection system. It urged all localities and departments concerned to carry out the work principle of “Protection with High Priority, Rescue First, Rational Utilization, Inheritance and Development” and earnestly do a good job in the protection, management and rational utilization of intangible cultural heritage.

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