Ages of tradition, traced and treasured
A decade-long nationwide project for systematic recordings and rescue of intangible cultural heritage, or ICH, has borne fruit, as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released its findings on Friday, the eve of the country's 20th annual Cultural and Natural Heritage Day.
Coorganized by the ICH department of the ministry and the National Library of China, the project was launched in 2015, covering a wide range of categories from folk literature, music, dancing and operas to traditional craftsmanship, medicine and festival celebrations.
It expanded to detailed recordings of 2,290 national-level ICH inheritors, including oral history documentations, video recordings of their practice of ICH items and teachings, and category-related files, thanks to fiscal support from the central government. Among them, 1,279 recordings were completed.
An exhibition displaying the past decade's recording work opened in the national library on Friday and will run till October.
"Intangible cultural heritage items are witnesses to how the lineage of Chinese civilization has been passed down," said Chen Ying, deputy director of the National Library of China, at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
