Home Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Cultural roots need deeper protection
Adjust font size:  ZoomIn ZoomOut

The country's top official overseeing intangible cultural heritage has tangible reasons for redoubling protection efforts.

Every time Vice-Minister of Culture Zhou Heping hears about a folklore artist or a master craftsman who passes away before passing down their arts, he feels "sorrowfully pitiable".

The Ministry of Culture recently proclaimed 551 artists as "inheritors" of intangible cultural heritage, including those of Peking Opera and Mongolian pastoral song - the second batch following 226 designated last June.

"But in between, some 'masters' died before they were conferred the inheritor titles and so did the arts which only they mastered," Zhou said during a webchat session on China Daily's website with columnist Raymond Zhou last week.

"This is extremely regrettable."

Intangible cultural heritage is defined by the United Nations as "the practices, representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills - as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith - that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage".

Also regrettable to Zhou are reports that some Chinese villages were demolishing houses with unique architecture and ancient structural decorations only to replace them with modern but monotonous buildings.

"There is a compelling urgency for protection," Zhou said. "We must provide conditions including funding for inheritors to transmit their art."

He said that to prevent urbanization and industrialization from encroaching on intangible cultural heritage, it is important to raise awareness about the need for protection.

Among handmade teapots, for example, different styles employ different traditional techniques, endowing each with a distinguishing "character". However, people are increasingly using machines to mass-produce clay teapots, dramatically diminishing their value.

People must understand that they will ultimately kill traditional arts by resorting to industrial production, he said.

The vice-minister is a staunch proponent of including Peking Opera and calligraphy in elementary and high school curricula to expose youngsters to cultural traditions.

Nearly 100 ancient styles of opera have died out since the middle of the last century, when the country had more than 300, according to the ministry.

"I think we could mull over fine-tuning the subjects (to be taught at schools) by increasing education on traditional culture, so young people will receive such an education at an earlier age and preserve this heritage - the 'DNA' of our nation," Zhou said.

In order to rescue China's disappearing intangible cultural heritage, the country in 2005 organized government departments and specialists to select 518 examples from hundreds of contenders and award them State-level protection.

The second batch, covering nearly 700 items, will be announced soon, Zhou said.

Those items listed at the national level of protection are outstanding representatives of the country's intangible cultural heritage, but compared with the size of the country and the diversity of its culture, the number listed is rather small, Zhou said. (China Daily March 18, 2008)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
Most Viewed >>
- Chinese parliament approves premier, CMC vice-chairmen, members
- List of ministerial members of the State Council
- Cabinet reshuffle in China
- New state councilors approved
- Guangdong reports poultry bird flu outbreak
Questions and Answers More
Q: What kind of law is there in place to protect pandas?
A: In order to put the protection of giant pandas and other wildlife under the law, the Chinese government put the protection of rare animals and plants into the Constitution.
Useful Info
- Who's Who in China's Leadership
- State Structure
- China's Political System
- China's Legislative System
- China's Judicial System
- Mapping out 11th Five-Year Guidelines
Links
- Chinese Embassies
- International Department, Central Committee of CPC
- State Organs Work Committee of CPC
- United Front Work Department, Central Committee of CPC
主站蜘蛛池模板: 最近免费中文字幕大全高清大全1| 精品人妻VA出轨中文字幕| 国产精品无码午夜福利| igao激情在线视频免费| 我要看一级毛片| 久久婷婷五月综合97色| 机巴太粗太硬弄死你| 亚洲欧洲高清有无| 狠狠色综合网站久久久久久久| 午夜毛片在线观看| 色婷婷激婷婷深爱五月小蛇| 国产在线精品一区在线观看| 午夜影院小视频| 国产精品嫩草影院av| 91福利精品老师国产自产在线| 女欢女爱第一季| 一边摸一边爽一边叫床视频| 无遮挡边吃摸边吃奶边做| 久久成人国产精品免费软件| 樱花www视频| 亚洲国产成人高清在线观看| 水蜜桃视频在线观看免费 | av无码精品一区二区三区四区| 宅男66lu国产在线观看| 中文字幕一二三区| 成年免费视频黄网站在线观看| 久久久久久人妻一区精品| 日本动态120秒免费| 久久国产精品久久| 日韩在线高清视频| 久久精品日日躁精品| 星空无限传媒在线观看| 亚洲av无码片一区二区三区| 欧美办公室系列观看丝袜| 亚洲国产欧美91| 欧美大BBBBBBBBBBBB| 亚洲午夜电影在线观看| 欧美午夜理伦三级理论三级| 亚洲成a人片在线观看精品| 欧美性极品hd高清视频| 亚洲欧美国产精品专区久久|