Saving the past to secure the future

According to Tian, production of the documentaries can combine academic research and technical teams, and create a format for regular recording of ICH items in everyday work protecting such heritage.

"They can be of high value, both as visual documentations and art,"Tian says. "Some productions can join documentary film festivals home and abroad ... Only when the public's enthusiasm for ICH was triggered can our work to preserve these heritages benefit from a positive feedback loop."

In front of cameras, many ICH inheritors demonstrate not only exceptional skills but also their determination to uphold a cultural obligation toward their fellow people and homeland.

In Libo county, Guizhou province, Pan Laoping of the Sui ethnic group spares no effort to pass an ancient writing system to the young generation. Encyclopedically recording Shui people's life, the writing system gains new energy in major festivals and rituals as a reminder of ancestors and past life.

Guo Taiyun in Kaifeng, Henan province, used his carving knives to turn woodblocks into printers of New Year paintings to set the festive mood.

Qiao Yu'an in Jiuquan, Gansu province, spent decades using the traditional story-telling art form Hexi Baojuan (literally meaning "the precious volumes of Hexi Corridor") to etch the centuries-old epic into people's collective memory. While Xu Zhongde in Hanchuan, Hubei province, remained attached to his beloved story-telling form Hanchuan Shanshu ("good book"), which was developed from religious preaching and folk vocalizing art a few centuries ago, and promoted righteousness and kindness.