help bg
Go Back

The Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Convention for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage passed by the UNESCO during the October 2003, at the 32nd session figures out that the Intangible cultural heritage is composed of five domains, scholars who’d love to learn Chinese in China may be quite familiar with the categorizations of the intangible cultural heritage.

The convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage defines the intangible cultural heritage as the practices, representations, and expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills that communities, groups and, in some classes, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. Readers who’d love to study Chinese in China must be quite interested about the five domains of the living cultural heritage.

The first domain is oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage; the second category is the sophisticated performing arts, including music, dance, drama etc. of high artistic or historical value, and here is an example of this domain to be shared with readers who’d love to study Mandarin in China;

The Uygur Muqam Art which has been listed as the masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Human Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity, because of the special art form, the Muqam performance with a long history of one thousand years and integrating song, dances, and music, had to be passed on through oral instruction, and it should be understand by those who’d love to learn Chinese in China that the protection for Muqan is only an epitome of cultural heritage of China’s ethnic minority cultures.

The third domain to be shared with readers who’d love to study Chinese in China is consists of the social practices, rituals, and festive events, is usually referred to as Intangible Folk Cultural Property, is defined as customs and manners related to food, clothing and shelter, occupation, etc.

The forth domain of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to be shared with readers who needs to study Mandarin in China incorporates the knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; And the fifth domain is the traditional craftsmanship, including those for ceramic, textile, lacquering, metal work, etc. of high artistic or historical value.

The convention also pointed out that the connotation of intangibility is in comparative to the meeting of the basic material needs of human subsistence, which stresses on the meeting of the human’s spiritual life, and it should be noteworthy for readers who’d love to learn Chinese in China that the so called “intangibility” is not insulated from the materials, but with an emphasis on the creative activities and its products of the realm of spirit.

The contour of the logo of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage was circular-shaped, resembling circulation endlessly, the inner square which is corresponding to the outer circle resembling the heaven and the earth , as well as the great prospect for the intangible cultural heritages, readers who’d love to study Chinese in China may be curious about the inner motif of the logo.

Well, the center of the logo to be introduced to readers who’d love to study Mandarin in China is a fish-shaped motif, within which a Chinese character of “文”was imbedded, which refers to the intangible world heritage, and the fish can’t live without water, so the logo is to connote the long standing of the Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

It is unquestionable for readers who are preparing to study Mandarin in China to discern that the Chinese intangible cultural heritage is going to be transmitted from generation to generations with the interaction with the environment, nature and its historical conditions of existence, the abstract hands in the center of the logo holding the character “文” provides people with a sense of identity and continuity, and t resembles safeguarding promotes, sustains and develop cultural diversity and human creativity.

By the November 2011, it is note-worthy for those who’d love to learn Chinese in China that there are approximately 870 thousand items of Chinese intangible cultural heritage resources, and with 28 being enlisted into the list, and 6 being incorporated into the endangered proclamations, and with 70 thousand national, provincial, municipal Intangible World Heritages.

It is also important fort those to study Chinese in China that the Chinese government’s principles toward the protection of the Chinese intangible cultural heritage is“protection as the main task, and rescue as the priority, with emphasis to the rational utilization and sustainable development”.

The working principle for the protection work of the Chinese intangible cultural heritage is “in a way of government-led, social involvement, clear clarified responsibilities, joint efforts, long-term planning, and clear implementation procedures combined with the integrating of points and sphere perspective and effective approaches”.

Please use vertical scrolling on your mobile device.