China’s intangible cultural heritage cannot be understated. It infiltrates almost all aspects of Chinese life and is an integral part of the country’s traditional culture.
1. Current Status of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Development
The concept of “intangible cultural heritage” appeared at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. The use of this term is intended to distinguish such heritage from the tangible heritage that have been widely accepted internationally.
In May 2001, the UNESCO announced the first group of “Masterpieces of Human Oral and Intangible Heritage” and China’s Kunqu Opera was selected. Since then, China’s protection of its intangible cultural heritage has been put on the agenda. On October 17, 2003, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted at the 32nd UNESCO General Conference. On August 28, 2004, China was approved to join the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. After that, China began to quickly carry out protection of various types of intangible cultural heritage. After more than ten years of hard work, China has accumulated a wealth of “Chinese experience” and achieved great achievements. Today, intangible cultural heritage has become a familiar term for the Chinese people, and the social understanding of its protection has gradually deepened.
According to “Chinese Law on Intangible Cultural Heritage”, intangible cultural heritage refers to various forms of traditional cultural expressions that have been passed down from generation to generation and are regarded as part of their cultural heritage, as well as physical objects and places related to traditional cultural expressions. These include: (1) traditional oral literature and the language as its carrier; (2) traditional art, calligraphy, music, dance, drama, art and acrobatics; (3) traditional techniques, medicine and calendar; (4) traditional etiquetic, festivals and other folk customs; (5) traditional sports and entertainment; (6) other intangible cultural heritage.
Up to 2017, 39 projects in China have entered the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List, ranking first in the world. Among them, there are 31 items of representative works of intangible cullural heritage of human beings, 7 items of intangible cultural heritage in urgent need of proicction, and 1 item of excellent practices of intangible cultural heritage. The Chinese Ministry of Culture has identitied and published four lists of nalional projects, which are divided into ten categories. They are:
1. Folk literature, such as the Tibetan “Epic of King Gesar”, the Kirgiz epic “Manas”, etc.
2. Traditional music, such as Guqin and its music, the grand song of the Dong ethnic group, etc.
3. Traditional dances, such as the farmers’ dance of the Korean ethnic group, the Tibetan circle dance, etc.
4. Traditional dramas such as Kunqu Opera, shadow play. Guangdong Cantonese Opera, etc.
5. Traditional art, such as engraving, paper cutting, etc
6. Traditional skills, such as Nanjing Yunjin brocade weaving skills, traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures, etc.
7. Traditional medicine, such as acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine;
8. Folk customs, such as the Dragon Boat Festival, the 24 solar terms, etc.
9. Quyi folk musical theater, such as Xiangsheng comic dialogues, Jingdong drums, etc.
10. Traditional sports, entertainment and acrobatics, such as Taiji Quan, Chinese acrobatics, etc.
Cultural Notes
The UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was formally established on November 4, 1946. As one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, it is headquartered in Paris, France. Its purpose is to promote international cooperation in education, science and culture to facilitate mutual understanding among peoples and to maintain world peace,
2. Representative Works of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
Folk Literature: Tibetan “Epic of King Gesar”
The “Epic of King Gesar”, which has been orally transmitted for thousands of years, tells the story of the heroic deeds of King Gesar slaying demons and uniting the tribes. In 2009, the “Epic of King Gesar” was approved by the United Nations to be included in the uList of Representatives of the Intangible Cullural Heritage of Humanity”. It is widely spread in Tibetan, Mongolian, Nakhi and other regions in western and northern China, and represents the highest achievements of folk culture and oral narrative art of ancient Chinese Tibetans, Mongolians and other ethnic minorities.
The “Epic of King Gesar” was formed in the 3rd-4th to 6th centuries AD. Due to the long-term melee between Tibetan clans and tribes, people lived wretched lives and yearned for the emergence of a hero. The combination of peopled ideals and ancient Tibetan myths, legends, poems and other folk literature gradually led to the creation of the “Epic of King Gesar”, which has been sung for thousands of years. In the 7th century AD, Songtsan Gampo unified the tribes of the Qinghai- Tibet Plateau, and the stories were further enriched and developed, and gradually spread to the people of all ethnic groups in the surrounding areas.
According to incomplete statistics, the “Epic of King Gesar” has more than 120 volumes, more than 1 million verses, and more than 20 million Chinese characters, making it incredibly long and truly a world epic. With the experiences of King Gesar as its heart, it uses the form of stories to string up the development history of the Tibetan society; it truly is an encyclopedia that describes the rich and colorful social and cultural life of the Tibetan areas, and studies the social history, ethnic exchanges, and folk customs of ancient Chinese ethnic minorities. The “Gesar” epic structure is ingeniously arranged, the language description is vivid, and the images are vividly shaped. Its achievements in art and aesthetics have led some to call it the “Eastern ‘Iliad’”.
The spread of “Gesar” among common folks relied on the spoken retellings by bards, who are affectionately called “folk poetry gods”. These bards can not only recite hundreds of thousands of verses from memory but can vividly express them as well. Because the bards are different in life background, personal experience, and cultural literacy, the epic content of their stories is also different. Due to this regional variation, it has been said that “every Tibetan population has its own version of ‘Gesar’.”
“Gesar” has been sung for thousands of years and has been deeply integrated into the lives of Tibetans, Mongolians and other Chinese minorities. For people, “Gesar” not only brings them a beautiful and moving story, but also a spirit, encouraging people to overcome the harsh environment of the plateau and the hardships and difficulties in life, and to look forward to a bright future.
Cultural Notes
Songtsan Gampo
Songtsan Gampo (617–650) is the 33rd king of the Tubo Kingdom. He unified Tibet and formally established the Tubo Kingdom. In 641 AD, Songtsan Gambo married Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty, and later sent a nobleman to Chang’an (now Xi’an) to study poetry and promote the exchange of Chinese and Tibetan culture.
Guqin and Its Music
On November 7, 2003, Chinese Guqin and the world’s 27 other artistic expressions were selected for the second group of the UNESCO’s List of Human Oral and Intangible Heritage. With a history going back more than 3,000 years, the Guqin art has integrated music, aesthetics and thought into one, and has become an important representative of traditional Chinese music.
Guqin is a tradilional Chinese musical instrument with a long history. It first appeared in temples and was reserved for nobles. In the Zhou Dynasty, Guqin gradually became a folk instrument. At the same time famous works such as “High Mountain”, “Flowing Water”, “Prime Spring” and “White Snow” were created, and the outstanding Guqin masters such as Shi Kuang and Bo Ya appeared. During the Han Dynasty, the shape of Guqin was finalized. Scholars such as Sima Xiangru and Cai Yong contributed to the creation of the lyric art, which significantly increased the number of Guqin works. During the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, Guqin became beloved by scholars. Among them, Ruan Ji and Ji Kang were the most prominent representatives. Before he died, Ji Kang played a piece of “Guangling San” and sighed, “Guangling will not be heard from now on.” In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Guqin art reached its peak. At the time, from the ruling class and scholarly gentlemen to the commoners, all of them would pride themselves on being able to play the Guqin.
In addition to the fingering skills, ancient Chinese people had strict requirements of the environment and audience when playing the Guqin. To them, playing the Guqin was a way of self-cultivation, and a medium that combines a small self and a vast nature. Therefore, it was only suitable to play the Guqin in a beautiful place with beautiful scenery. Choosing an audience was a tricky task. The ancients believed that if there was nobody who could appreciate their playing, they would rather play it for themselves and play it for nature. They saw the character of Guqin as more important than life.
The Guqin art is not only a simple form of musical expression, but also a unique medium of humanistic connotation. It helps to transfer the traditional Chinese humanistic spirit. Westerners admire the Guqin as “an instrument of the poet, scholar, and sage”; “No instrument can reflect the great traditional Chinese culture as the Guqin can.”
The Farmers5 Dance of the Korean Ethnic Group
The Korean ethnic group in China has an excellent artistic tradition and are known for their singing and dancing. The farmers’ dance of the Korean ethnic group is commonly known as “farmers’ dance”, and its content is rich and colorful, including 12 groups of dance movements such as the small drum dance, the human pyramid dance, the long sleeve dance, the fan dance, and the elephant hat dance. The dance is lively, and the rhythm is cheerful, which reflects the joy of the people of the Korean ethnic group after a harvest. The farmers’ dance is widely spread in the Korean ethnic minorities in the northeastern provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning, and is the highest artistic form of the Korean ethnic group’s folk dance. In 2009, it was approved to be included in the “List of Representatives of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”; in fact, it is the first dance project in China to be included in the list.
The farmers’ dance may have originated from the hunting and ritual activities of the primitive people. Later, the ritual dance gradually transformed into a type of entertainment. When the farming was busy, the Korean ethnic people went to the farmland with musical instruments and farming tools. When they were at rest, people danced in the cheerful drum music and eliminated fatigue with joyful songs and dances. As the years passed, these impromptu songs and dances gradually became a recreational folk dance, which runs throughout various traditional folk activities of the Korean ethnic group in China.
The farmers’ dances often occur in the New Year, in harvest celebrations and during sporting activities. The performance program generally consists of the following: first, the young man performs the small drum dance; then a group of dancing children perform the human pyramid dance; then comes the traditional flat drum dance which is a multiplayer performance; then there are ihe long drum dance and then the fan dance, followed by the crane dance with the dancer dressed as a red-crowned crane; the ending piece is the elephant hat dance.
This dance is rich in content and diverse in form. In general, the style of the dance is vivid and beautiful, ihe expression technique is rich and natural, the music rhythm and the dance content are organically combined with each other, and the performer’s inner emotions and dance movements are harmonious.
The farmers’ dance is the most representative form of the Korean ethnic group’s folk dance. It vividly displays the social life, production labor, customs and aesthetic taste of the Korean ethnic people, and shows their hardworking and brave tradition, kindness and inner strength.
Traditional Drama: Shadow Play and Guangdong Cantonese Opera
Shadow Play
Shadow play, also known as “silhouette play”, is a folk drama that uses the silhouettes of characters made of animal skin or cardboard to perform a story. The shadow play has a strong local flavor, widely spread in Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and other places in China, and has formed a variety of genres due to the different voices played in different places. In 2011, China’s shadow play was selected in the “List of Representatives of Human Intangible Cultural Heritage”.
During the performance of the shadow play, the artists behind the white curtain, while manipulating the silhouettes, tell the story to local popular songs. The skill of operating the silhouettes and singing is key to a good shadow play performance. It often takes a long period of hard practice to master the art. Some performance masters can play seven or eight characters at the same time. Shadow plays are also knovm for their portrayal of martial arts. The music and singing of the shadow play are veiy beautiful. In the era before cinema and TV, it was a very popular folk entertainment.
Guangdong Cantonese Opera
Cantonese Opera (or the Yueju Opera) is also called “big drama” or “Guangdong big drama”. All performances are in Cantonese. It was once praised as “Southern Red Bean” by Premier Zhou Enlai and was selecled in the “World Intangible Cultural Heritage List” in 2009. It originated in Foshan, Guangdong. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Guangdong was a stable and economically developed area. Foshan was the seat of several chambers of commerce in Guangdong, and the demand for entertainment was strong. The appearance of “Qionghua Theater” made Foshan the center of Cantonese Opera. According to records at the time, there were more than thirty theaters both large and small in Foshan, which showed the popularity of Cantonese Opera.
Cantonese Opera performances comprise four key aspects: singing, acting, speech delivery; and martial arts/gymnastics. In the course of its development, Cantonese Opera absorbed some characteristics of Cantonese folk songs and incorporated elements of southern-style martial arts, thus forming a new style with vivid and popular language, a unique voice, and a distinctive martial arts style, which make it a wildly popular local opera.
Cantonese Opera is influenced by various local operas in southern China. It is not only in line with the traditional Chinese culture, but also has become a representative of southern Chinese culture. Cantonese Opera masterpieces include “The Princess’s Messenger”, “Purple Hairpin” and “Eight Happy Events in Huatian”, which reflect the social life of all walks of life in China and have irreplaceable cultural value.
Engraving
Engraving is a unique art to China. The process involves carving the Chinese characters into stone with specialized tools. Going back 3,000 years, it not only emphasizes the brushwork and structure of Chinese calligraphy, but also highlights the free and smooth artistic expression in engraving and exerts skills and emotions among the squares. It is deeply loved by Chinese scholars and ordinary people.
The art of engraving was developed from the ancient Chinese seal culture. The Chinese seals were first seen in the Shang Dynasty. In the Qin Dynasty, the engraving art was gradually improved with the use of seals, and a full-time staff was set up for the management of seals. The Han Dynasty was a glorious period for seal-engraving art, as the skills of the seal-engravers gradually matured and the scope of its use expanded. In the Ming Dynasty, official seals and private seals became separate art forms. The private prints and styles of the names for personal use were flexible and diverse, and gradually evolved into an art. In the Qing Dynasty, with the development of textual research, the art of seal-engraving once again prospered and there appeared many art schools and masters, such as Zhao Zhiqian, Wu Changshuo, and Huang Mufu. Founded in 1904, Xiling Seal Art Society in Hangzhou is still the center of Chinese seal-engraving and relevant research.
There is a saying in the Chinese art world, “Out of one hundred painters, there are ten calligraphers, and out of ten calligraphers, there is one seal- engraver.” The art of engraving requires both a proficiency of calligraphy and an in-depth understanding of the Chinese characters.
Engraving is inseparable from the seal script. Because the script is simple in writing, beautiful in form, and without complicated stroke requirements, it can be directly written on the stone. After thousands of years of exploration and practice by countless artists, this engraving style has been formed today. Engraving artworks can be enjoyed independently and can be widely used in fields such as painting and calligraphy. In 2009, Chinese engraving was entered into the United Nations List of Representatives of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Cultural Notes
Seals
A seal, also known as a stamp, is used as stationery on a document indicating identification or signature. A general seal is first printed with ink and then pressed on paper. It is called a stencil without sticking to any pigment but showing the unevenness after printing. There are also wax marks printed on wax or lacquer and on envelopes. Some of the materials used to make the seal include metal, wood, stone, and jade.
Xiling Seal Art Society
Founded in 1904, Xiling Seal Art Society is the oldest and internationally recognized Chinese engraving art creation and research center in China. It is located in the West Lake scenic area of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Traditional Skills: Nanjing Yunjin Brocade Weaving Skills
Nanjing Yunjin brocade weaving skills were included in ihe World Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2009. Yunjin is a jacquard silk brocade that is first woven, dyed, and then woven with gold and silver thread. Because of its beautiful color and glory, it is named after the beautiful clouds in the sky. Yunjin ranks first among the three famous Chinese ancient brocades (Yunjin, Songjin and Jinjin) and is a pearl of Chinese silk culture.
Nanjing’s brocade industry started in ihe late Eastern Jin Dynasty and flourished during the Southern Dynasties. During the Song Dynasty, Nanjing’s brocade industry developed to unprecedented levels. Even as Nanjing experienced good and bad times, the silk shops were busy day and night. There were well- known shops such as Renheli, Wuyixiang and Wuxiuzhuang, which brought an unprecedented prosperity to the area. In the Yuan Dynasty, because the rulers liked to use gold and silver as decoration, the decoration of silk with gold and silver strands became an important feature of Nanjing Yunjin weaving technique.
Nanjing Yunjin brocade weaving skills matured during the Ming and Qing dynasties. According to records, in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the silk industry became the city’s most important industry. At that time, there were more than 30,000 looms in Nanjing, and more than 200,000 weavers, accounting for about one-third of the cityJs population. With the improvement of weaving techniques, Yunjin in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was more meticulous and exquisite, being well-received by the imperial court and ordinary people alike. In addition to being offered to the imperial family and the government, Nanjing Yunjin was also sold overseas.
Over the course of its long history, Yunjin has branched into many varieties including warehouse satin, woven gold, brocade and flowery silk. Yunjin’s production process is extremely complicated. When it is produced, two skilled workers are required to operate one loom. Only one centimeter of Yunjin can be woven one day, so there is a saying that “one inch of’silk is one im h of gold”. With technological developments, some Yunjin production methods have been modernized, but “flowery silk”, the most complicated varieiv, still must be crafted with traditional methods.
Brocade, because of its beautiful imagery, was regarded by the ancients as a symbol of “beauty”, and idioms such as “flowery like brocade” vividly illustrate the profound influence of brocade artistry on Chinese culture. In the development of the millennium, Nanjing Yunjin has become more than just handicraft; it is essentially a window into a traditional culture centered on Chinese brocade.
Cultural Notes
Warehouse Satin
A jacquard satin, one of the traditional varieties of Nanjing Yunjin. In the Qing Dynasty, it became an item of tribute to the imperial family. It was preserved in the satin warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to be used in the imperial court, so it was called “warehouse satin”.
Woven Gold
The so-called “woven gold” means that the patterns on the woven fabric are made of gold or silver threads. !t is mainly used for piping, rims, skirts and hems.
Flowery Silk
Flowery silk is the most complex variety in Nanjing Yunjin weaving. It uses a wide range of colors which contrast each other in a bold way. A piece of flowery silk may contain between ten to thirty different colors. As such, the texture on the fabric has a vivid and beautiful artistic effect. This complicated production process is not used in other Nanjing Yunjin brocades or brocades producedin other regions. Additionally, given its complexity, it is not possible to produce flowery silk with machines.
Traditional Chinese Medicine: Acupuncture and Moxibustion
Acupuncture and moxibustion are an integral pari of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture refers to piercing fine needles into certain acupuncture points of the patient’s body to treat disease. The acupuncture theory, acupuncture techniques and related instruments all have distinctive traditional Chinese cultural characteristics. In 2010, Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion were added to the United Nations List of Representatives of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Traditional Folklore: The 24 Solar Terms
The 24 solar terms encapsulate the traditional knowledge that Chinese people used to recognize the changes in the sky, the seasons and the nature. Ancient Chinese people divided the path of the sun into 24 equal parts, each part corresponding to a solar term, hence the name “24 solar terms”. In Chinese, they have elegant two-character names. Here are their literal meanings in English followed by their transliterated names in Pinyin: Beginning of Spring (lichun), Rain Water (yushui), Waking of Insects (jingzhe), Spring Equinox (chunfen), Pure Brightness (qingming), Grain Rain (guyu), Beginning of Summer (lixia), Budding of Grain (xiaoman), Grain in Ear (mangzhong), Summer Solstice (xiazhi), Lesser Heat (xiaoshu), Greater Heat (dashu), Beginning of Autumn (liqiu), End of Heat (chushu), White Dews (bailu), Autumn Equinox (qiufen), Cold Dews (hanlu), Frost Falling (shuangjiang), Beginning of Winter (lidong), Light Snow (xiaoxue), Heavy Snow (daxue), Winter Solstice (dongzhi), Lesser Coldness (xiaohan), Greater Coldness (dahan).
The eight solar terms reflecting seasonal changes include: Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice.Beginning of Spring, Beginning of Summer, Beginning of Autumn, and Beginning of Winter denote the beginning of the seasons.The following five solar terms reflect the temperature changes: Lesser Heat, Greater Heat, End of Heat, Lesser Coldness, and Greater Coldness.The following seven terms reflect weather changes: Rain Water, Grain Rain, White Dews, Cold Dews, Frost Falling, Light Snow, and Heavy Snow.
In the meteorological world, the 24 solar terms have been hailed as China’s “fifth great invention”. In 2016, they were officially inscribed in the UN List of Representatives of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.The 24 solar terms were formed in the Yellow River Basin. As far back as the Spring and Autumn Period, the four solar terms denoting the four seasons were used. After continuous improvement, the 24 solar terms were fully established during the Qin and Han dynasties. People observed seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation according to seasonal conditions in order to organize agricultural production activities. The 24 solar terms, as a time guide for production and life, gradually spread throughout the country and were shared across various ethnic groups.
Today, the 24 solar terms have penetrated into every aspect of Chinese life. People arrange not only agricultural production activities, but also a family’s diet, clothing, residence and travel in a timely and orderly manner. Beginning of Spring is for planting, Grain Rain is for tea picking, Frost Falling is the harvest season, and as winter arrives, people stop working and happily prepare for the New Year. The 24 solar terms have also entered the Chinese primary school textbooks. Children are taught to sing the “Song of the 24 Solar Terms” from a young age, which provides them a way to better understand their connection to the natural world.
The core concept of the 24 solar terms is the “Oneness of Heaven and Man”, which reflects the Chinese view of respecting the laws of nature with the hope that people and nature can coexist in harmony. After thousands of years, the 24 solar terms are an important reference for the Chinese people to make agricultural forecasts and prevent natural disasters. They are the accumulation of exhaustive experience of the Chinese people and the wisdom of an agricultural civilization.
Traditional Art: Xiangsheng Comic Dialogues
Xiangsheng is a Chinese comic dialogue or stand-up comedy, which uses the quick vocal delivery and jokes to make the audience laugh. “Xiangsheng” originally meant “image-like”, which refers to the simulation of other people’s words and deeds, and later developed into “image sounds”, characterized by funny, satirical drama. It was formed in Beijing during the Xianfeng Period and the Tongzhi Period of the Qing Dynasty (around 1862), and has since spread widely in northern China, especially in Beijing and Tianjin. In 2008, Xiangsheng was included in the UNCESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.Xiangsheng performances were originally divided into two types. One is the behind-the-curtain performance, which mainly features oral mimicking skills. The other is the on-the-stage performance, which mainly features speeches of comedic value and includes single-person stand-up comedies, two-person cross-talks, and group cross-talks of three or more people. Two-person cross-talks are the most common. In a two-person cross-talk, one actor is the leading role responsible for cracking jokes, and the other is a supporting role, who plays the fool to make the audience laugh.
There are four classical skills in Xiangsheng: speaking, mimicking, teasing and singing. Xiangsheng has a rich traditional repertoire. Classical pieces include single-person stand-up comedies “Three Promotions” and “Little God Fairy”, two-person cross-talks “The Grand Manchu-Han Banquet”, “The Yellow Crane Tower”, “Talks on Drama” and “Guessing the Lantern Riddles”, and group cross-talks “Stripping away the Mandarin Jacket” and “Diamond Legs”.
Xiangsheng performers are predominantly male. The inheritance of Xiangsheng is mainly carried out through app renticeship. That is, an apprentice learns various techniques from his master. Through long-term reciting, imitating, practicing and watching the performances of his master and other comic artists, the apprentice can gradually become a qualified Xiangsheng performer. Some of the famous Xiangsheng masters of the past century include Ma Sanli, Hou Baolin and Ma Ji. The earliest Xiangsheng was performed mainly in public places, such as the Tianqiao area in Beijing, and later performed in indoor entertainment venues such as teahouses.
It is a form of entertainment that can be enjoyed by everyone: men, women and children. Nowadays, Xiangsheng is more widely spread through the Internet and television, and new forms of performances in costumes and with shorter performance times have appeared. Many Xiangsheng artists also act in films and television dramas as well as participate in TV talent shows. For example, the contemporary disciples of the Deyun Theatre, founded by contemporary Xiangsheng performer Guo Degang, participate in the “Happy Comedy” TV show, which has helped to promote the development of the art form to a wider audience.
Cultural Notes
Speaking, Mimicking, Teasing and Singing
The four classical skills of Xiangsheng include: speaking–telling stories, talking and building up jokes; mimicking–impersonating various characters, mimicking dialects and other voices, parodying famous operatic pieces, as well as singing and dancing teasing–cracking jokes to make the audience laugh; singing–singing “Taiping lyrics” or other classical folk operas.
Chinese Acrobatics
Acrobatics is one of the oldest performing arts in China. It includes body contortion stunts, unicycling, oral stunts, balancing spinning bowls, tightrope walking, juggling, and lion dance (on top of spinning balls). The acrobatic art has a history of more than 2,000 years in China. It was called “Hundred Plays” in the Han Dynasty. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was called “distractions”. After the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was called “acrobatics” in order to be distinguished from other songs, dances and dramas. In ancient China, acrobatics accompanied by music and dance was a must-have performance for ihe imperial court and aristocrats. According to the “Historical Records of Dawan” in The Records of the Grand Historian, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty hosted an unprecedented grand performance of acrobatics and dance at a banquet for the foreign emissaries in order to show off the richness of the country. The Tang Dynasty scholars also described acrobatic performances, while during the Ming and Qing dynasties, although acrobatics had faded out of the court performance, there was still an acrobatics performance in the ‘Tainting of Music and Entertainment” of Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty.
Chinese acrobatics sprouted in primitive hunting and production activities, so it was closely linked to people’s real lives. Academics believe that the earliest acrobatics was the show of “boomerangs”. A boomerang is a cross-shaped hunting gear made of hardwood chips, and the primeval tribe hunters used this rotating weapon to hunt birds and beasts. After continuous practice, the “boomerangs” became part of various performances in tribal clan events. Chinese modern acrobatics also use daily utensils and production tools as props. In the skill of foot juggling, wine vessels, clay bells, tables, umbrellas, and color blankets are used. The uAncient Trickn plays tricks on 18 large and small wine vessels, and even live fish and birds. In spinning plates, all kinds of dishes, plates, bowls, and earthen jars are used. In pole climbing and tightrope walking, ropes, whips, forks, hoes, and ladders are used. All kinds of daily necessities and labor tools arc transformed into props in the hands of acrobats and reflect a rich and colorful new look at life.
Chinese acrobatics ranks among some of the best in the world. Liaochcng, Shandong and Wuqiao, Hebei are China’s “hometown of acrobatics”. The people of Wuqiao have a special hobby for acrobatics. Whether in the streets or in the fields, even in the front of the table and on the kang beds, they will somersault at any time. With regards to traditional acrobatics, Liaocheng acrobatics combines skill performance with dance, music and costume art. The adapted acrobatics performances such as “Flying Fork” and “Little Chef” are new and original as well as beautiful, wowing audiences wherever they go.
In recent years, various Chinese acrobatics troupes have travelled to Japan, South Korea, the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Russia and other countries, and their performances have won excited applauses at every stop. As such, it seems that the ancient art of Chinese acrobatics is no longer ancient and still very much popular.
3. Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection in China
Relevant Policies and Measures
With a long history of civilization, China is rich in intangible cultural heritage. However, China’s focused protection of intangible cultural heritage began late. There are many types of intangible cultural heritage that are on the verge of disappearing. Since the 1990s, China has established guidelines and policies for enhancing its cultural power, and has spared no effort in the declaration and protection of its intangible cultural heritage. China has actively and effectively established and implemented relevant policies and measures for intangible cultural heritage preservation and has made visible achievements. China’s relevant policies and measures in intangible cultural heritage protection include the following:
(1) A nationwide intangible cultural heritage census was launched. After a national survey, it was found that there were nearly 870,000 intangible cultural heritage resources, and the types, quantities, distribution, survival and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage resources of various regions and ethnic groups were comprehensively catalogued. On that basis, China has established a four- level intangible cultural heritage directory system at the national, provincial, city and county levels. Up to now, the State Council has approved the publication of four groups of 1,372 national-level representative projects. All the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have also approved 13,087 provincial-level representative projects. The Ministry of Culture named four groups of 1,986 national-level representative inheritors, and all the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities named 14,928 provincial-level representative inheritors.
(2) The scope of intangible cultural heritage protection has been expanded. China has divided the intangible cultural heritage projects into ten categories. In addition to the types recognized by the UNESCO, China has creatively included folk literature and traditional Chinese medicine in the scope of protection projects. In particular, traditional Chinese medicine was listed in the wWorld Intangible Cultural Heritage Listv as a recommended project of the Chinese government in 2010. So far, this is the only intangible cultural heritage project related to medicine. China’s expansion model of intangible cultural heritage protection has also been used by other countries as a pattern to implement their own intangible cultural heritage protection.
(3) The legislative work of inumgible cultural heritage protection has been strengthened. With the official promulgation and implementation of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Law of the People’s Republic of China” in 2011, the legal system and working mechanism for China’s intangible cultural heritage protection have become increasingly effective. 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the country have promulgated the regulations for intangible cultural heritage protection. The central government has set up special funds for the protection of intangible cultural heritage, while various provinces and locales have established intangible cultural heritage protection centers and departments. In the past 10 years of intangible cultural heritage protection, some “best practices” in China have been recognized by the international community.
(4) A standard system to document intangible cultural heritage in archives has been established. Compared with other developed countries, China’s intangible cultural heritage archives started late and were few in number in the past. However, since the in-depth work of China’s intangible cultural heritage archive construction in 2005, the archive system has been targeted and optimized. At present, the main bodies of the intangible cultural heritage archives have been legally identified, the basic processes of collecting, recording, sorting, and cataloguing have been delineated, and a standard system for intangible cultural heritage files has been formed in a systematic manner.
Exchanges and Cooperation
Culture knows no national boundaries. As long as it is excellent culture, it will certainly be able to cultivate and enlighten people. Therefore, the protection of intangible cultural heritage is in line with the collective interests of the common development of human culture. In order to protect it, special attention should be paid to the exchanges and cooperation with other countries and regions.
China actively takes measures in intangible cultural heritage protection and promotes Chinese culture abroad. On the basis of respecting the characteristics of traditional Chinese culture, protecting cultural diversity, and maintaining and promoting traditional crafts, China successfully builds a plattorm tor international exchanges and cooperation. In addition, China makes full use of government departments, public welfare organizations, nongovernmental organizations and other platforms to carry out cultural heritage exchanges and exhibitions, and to establish China as a cultural power. China’s Shaolin Kung Fu, Kunqu Opera’ Chinese acupuncture and other intangible cultural heritage projects have been repeatedlv performed and exchanged abroad, and have been well received, illuminating the world with the richness of Chinese culture.China also insists on synchronizing itself with the relevant principles of the UNESCO by carefully observing and analyzing various concrete practices of foreign intangible cultural heritage projects, learning from those countries with highly developed protection schemes, and improving its own protection systems. By leveraging the results of the integration of culture with science and technology, China will make greater progress in the intangible cultural heritage protection and make more contributions to the world.
Questions
1. What is the significance of the discovery of the “Peking Man” in Zhoukoudian?
2. Which famous Chinese cultural relics do you know? Which traditional Chinese art do you like? Why?
3. What do you know about the Forbidden City?
4. What are the similarities and differences between imperial gardens and private gardens?
5. Please talk about the difference between tangible cultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage.
6. Please say something about one or two representative works of China’s intangible cultural heritage projects.
7. Please make some suggestions on China’s work in protecting intangible cultural heritage in light of the guidelines and policies of your own country.