Mukams, an ancient Uygur music in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, will apply for listing on the Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (MOIHH) list, updated every two years by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Zhou Heping, vice-minister of culture, made the announcement at a press conference here Tuesday. He said that Mukams, as representative of the abundant intangible cultural heritage of China, has passed the approval of the jury committee through comparative research nationwide. The UNESCO will announce the final results in November.
  
Mukams, created by the Uygur ethnic group, is a 12-part suit of music orally passed on by generations before the Chinese liberation. After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the music was collected and recorded by the Chinese government.
  
When asked to comment on Shaolin kung fu's application to be placed on the list, Zhou said that the Shaolin kung fu is a very important part of the Chinese kung fu culture, but that each country is allowed to submit only one heritage to the UNESCO each time. He said that in-depth research on such intangible heritage as the Shaolin kung fu should be carried out.
  
MOIHH is defined by the UNESCO as the practices, representations, expressions and knowledge and skills that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.
  
The UNESCO has added 47 cultural heritage items to the MOIHH list since 2001, including Chinese Kunqu Opera and Guqin Music.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2005)