The Chinese government is to publish the second list of state-level intangible cultural heritage items, which has been approved by the State Council, the Cabinet, the Ministry of Culture said here Wednesday.

The typographic wooden-block printing technique, Chinese calligraphy, martial arts, tea ceremony, and traditional medicine of ethnic group will be on the 510-item list, according to the ministry.

The items, selected from 2,540 candidate traditions, went through a vetting process including recommendations by local cultural departments, assessments by experts and public reviews.

The State Council published in 2006 the first batch of state-level intangible heritage items on a 518-item list that included the Spring Festival, Peking Opera, acupuncture, the Legend of Madame White Snake and Shaolin Kungfu.

The move aimed to give financial support to their protection and help the public reconsider their traditions.

Four items from China have been listed by UNESCO as world intangible cultural heritage items. They are the 500-year-old Kunqu Opera, known for its graceful movements and poetic lyrics; the 3,000-year-old guqin seven-string zither; the Twelve Mukams, a12-part suite of ancient Uygur music; and Mongolian Pastoral Songs.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12,2008)