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)