China would like more of its intangible cultural heritage items to be included on the UN's list in the future, Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng said yesterday.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adds new items to the list every two years, but each country is permitted only one nomination each time.

"Culturally speaking, China is a country with a tremendous number of legacies, so we urge UNESCO to ease (these restrictions) and admit more Chinese items to its list," Sun told China Daily.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of the annual session of the 10th National People's Congress, which ended yesterday.

The list, "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity", was established in 2001.

It currently includes China's Kunqu Opera, the art of guqin music, and the Uygur Muqam, a genre of music from Xinjiang. China and Mongolia also teamed up to have Mongolian long-tune folk songs included last year.

"Four items is hardly adequate," Sun said.

UNESCO's Beijing office could not be contacted yesterday for comment.

But it had previously said that when the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage comes into force next month, there won't be any new additions to the list.

It said items that can be described as "masterpieces" will be incorporated into a new "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity".

In the meantime, China has compiled its own national list of important intangible cultural heritage items.

Earlier this week, Vice-Minister of Culture Zhou Heping said Chinese experts had chosen 501 examples from more than 1,300 contenders throughout the country, including crafts and festival rituals, to be entered into a State-level protection list to be announced soon.

"Whether applying for inclusion in a world list or creating a domestic protection list, the goal is to enhance the nation's awareness of protecting cultural heritage," Sun said.

Legislation must be implemented to protect the heritage items and stem their decline, he added.

A ministry-sponsored Intangible Cultural Heritage Items exhibition opened at the National Museum of China in Beijing on February 12. The exhibition ends tomorrow.

(China Daily March 15, 2006)