Members of the Naxi ethnic group living in southwest China's Yunnan
Province will soon enjoy government protection for their ancient
Dongba culture.
The word "Dongba" refers to a collection of legends, sculptures,
clothing, paintings and religion that were uniquely developed by
the Naxi ethnic group, now living in compact communities in the
Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County in Yunnan.
Featuring a language of purely hieroglyphic characters that are
still in use, Dongba culture has become a major draw for tourists
in Lijiang.
Sadly, this culture has been threatened recently by cases of
smuggling of cultural relics.
The provincial government has reinforced relics protection by
stepping up legislation.
According to a new series of stipulations, any Dongba relics in the
possession of individuals or public institutions should be
registered with local administrative organizations, and any form of
transaction related to them are prohibited.
Meanwhile, the county government has also been urged to take
advantage of the local cultural school to inherit and develop the
culture.
Anyone causing damage to cultural relics will be required to
compensate the owners or face going to court, according to the
regulations.
Thanks to its outstanding architecture and folk culture, Lijiang
has been placed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Naxi people, numbering about 300,000 in total, have managed to
maintain some of the ancient Dongba characters of the Naxi
language.
(Xinhua 06/18/2001)