[Bamoqubumo] A comprehensive roadmap for the transformation of China's cultural policies in the new era

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the cultural authorities of China government have actively introduced the new concept of "intangible cultural heritage"(referred to as "intangible cultural heritage") as a guide, and have opened a new era of cultural governance on the path of socialism with China characteristics from various policy channels such as legislation, technology, administration and finance.

This process is in line with China's accession to the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2004 (referred to as the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention") has been actively promoting the synchronization of local and national institutional construction.

Therefore, we can generally understand the course of more than 20 years as a critical period for China's cultural policies in the new era to promote the "creative transformation and innovative development"(referred to as "two creations") of China's excellent traditional culture."Guanzi·Light and Heavy Jipian" has a saying,"The wheat ripens during the summer solstice, and the millet ripens at the beginning of autumn."Recently, the" Dictionary of China Intangible Cultural Heritage "(hereinafter referred to as the" Dictionary ") officially released by Chongwen Publishing Company is one of the landmark achievements of the implementation of this policy transformation.

It is also a solemn gift to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which will be held in October in the golden autumn of the year.

The "Dictionary" consists of six parts: preface, general examples, table of contents, main body, index and appendix, with a total of 6636 items and 3.2 million words.

From the perspective of compilation style, the main body is divided into basic theory, institutional mechanism, practical activities, representative projects, and representative inheritors.

This class-based content arrangement is generally "conceived from the perspective of intangible cultural heritage protection", including the explanation of concepts and terms, the explanation of institutional mechanisms, the summary of practical actions, the summary of representative projects, and the narration of inheritors 'deeds all reflect the compilation policy of "scientific, authoritative, professional and practical".

Here, we only combine the key positioning of "China's Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Cause" repeatedly emphasized in the "Preface" to understand the contemporary significance and practical value of this reference book to China's cultural policy formulation and cultural governance.

- -Providing conceptual tools for the intangible cultural heritage ontology knowledge system oriented by policy

Although the popularization and promotion of the new concept of intangible cultural heritage has only been less than 20 years, intangible cultural heritage protection is a dynamic process based on the present, connecting the past, and moving towards the future."Old learning is discussed more closely, and new knowledge is cultivated." Deep "is an inevitable trend in the coordinated development of theoretical research and protection practice of intangible cultural heritage.

On the one hand, the compilation of the "Grand Dictionary" needs to connect with the international multidisciplinary field of intangible cultural heritage protection.

On the other hand, it also needs to reflect the tacit knowledge passed down by the Chinese nation from generation to generation and its multi-layered cultural doctrines.

From the definition of words to the interpretation of terms, it summarizes, standardizes and enriches the concepts, terms and special vocabulary that have proliferated in this policy field.

It can be said to be a masterpiece.

This dictionary has always been based on tradition and used today.

At the beginning of the compilation work, it has taken it as its own responsibility to consciously assume the dual goals of the Chinese nation's pluralistic unity and a community with a shared future for mankind.

It has taken six years of collective collaborative efforts to tackle key problems.

It not only demonstrates the endogenous connection between the intangible cultural heritage practices of China's 56 ethnic groups and the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation.

It also shows from a broad perspective of humanity the policy framework and knowledge picture of protecting various intangible cultural heritage projects existing in the territory of sovereign countries on respecting world cultural diversity, promoting dialogue among different cultures, and stimulating human cultural creativity.

Civilization through culture leads to civilization in the world.

The "Basic Theory" is partly based on the interpretation of concepts or terms in cultural research, providing an indispensable instrumental guide for dynamic and expanding heritage research.

This section contains a total of 188 entries.

Guided by General Secretary Xi Jinping's requirement to build philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics of "never forgetting the original, absorbing foreign countries, and facing the future", it examines the cultural policy background of the origin of several heritage concepts from the perspective of dual complementarity between international and domestic, summarizes the theoretical basis for specific terms and their pragmatic translation or localized expression in the Chinese context, and then compares key concepts in the field of heritage.

Core terms closely related to intangible cultural heritage protection have been systematically collected and targeted.

The basic concepts carefully selected by the editorial board range from civilization, culture, and cultural identity to traditional culture, traditional Chinese culture, national culture, folk culture, regional culture, etc.

These concepts mainly originate from the cross-cutting field of cultural research.

There are conceptual tools used globally and autonomous terms with Chinese characteristics, but they are all closely related to the keywords, core terms, and knowledge units commonly used in intangible cultural heritage protection work.

It helps to shape the discourse system and working vocabulary that relevant actors follow together.

In the fifty years since the adoption of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, various definitions of "heritage" have emerged one after another.

This prosperity of expression has essentially concealed the various contradictions between concepts and has also greatly affected the globalization process.

The way the international community and even sovereign states classify, recognize, protect and manage heritage.

The Dictionary uses an evidence-based approach in the field of cultural policy to integrate domestic and international laws that define "intangible cultural heritage".

At the same time, it attempts to interpret this global phenomenon simultaneously through interactive reference to relevant domestic and foreign laws and regulations, public policies, institutional mechanisms and action areas, thereby guiding readers from different cultural conventions to enter the process of international recognition and international understanding of heritage classification.

For example, the terms "cultural heritage","natural heritage" and "intangible cultural heritage" written by editor-in-chief Wang's article are compared based on the definition of international law and based on legal documents to conceptually clarify the policy context of "cultural heritage".

At the same time, the reference book also lists other heritage protection plans or projects led by relevant intergovernmental international organizations or professional committees, involving action areas such as documentary heritage, agricultural heritage, and industrial heritage.

As a result, it also compares different policies.

The comparison and legal matrix highlights the evidence-based decision-making process for intangible cultural heritage protection, and also clarifies the importance of developing independent conceptual tools based on China's own national conditions to unify the intangible cultural heritage ontology knowledge system.

Although people's understanding of these concepts, terms and vocabulary is constantly developing and changing, the central task that The Dictionary strives to accomplish is to focus on using core concepts and policy vocabulary that are both in line with domestic law and in line with international law at the theoretical level.

Understand and convey how to ensure the survival of the living heritage of intangible cultural heritage.

This basic dimension is related to the living world of ordinary people and the tacit knowledge and local practice passed down from generation to generation.

How to define and describe the "untouchable" intangible cultural heritage practice must be based on national conditions and the present, so as to make it simple and simple.

It is true that some concepts go beyond the short definitions in the dictionary, or each concept has been expanded.

However, it is necessary to place it in the academic history and theoretical methodology of cultural studies, which is conducive to exploring the specialized pragmatic implications of intangible cultural heritage protection and its policy context.

Therefore, the basic concepts and special terms listed in the Dictionary summarize the basic definitions of many keywords, providing necessary theoretical common knowledge and intangible cultural heritage knowledge for professionals engaged in intangible cultural heritage protection and ordinary readers who love intangible cultural heritage practice.

- -Establish an independent discourse system based on the baseline actions of contemporary cultural governance in China

From "how to apply for cultural heritage" to the discourse practice of "how to protect", we should handle the relationship between protection and "two creations" based on the standpoint of cultural policy and heritage management, and at the same time, based on the knowledge of building an academic system, discourse system, and subject system in a new era.

Multiple demands such as production, management and services, from cultural policies to general protection measures of law, technology, administration and finance to integrating intangible cultural heritage protection into the mainstream of sustainable development policies.

It has become a basic orientation for the compilation of the "Big Dictionary".

The second part of the "Dictionary","Institutional Mechanisms", contains a total of 99 entries, ranging from international law to domestic law, from institutional organization to directory system, from hierarchical management to institutional construction, and the baseline action for intangible cultural heritage protection is based on the recognition and definition of heritage projects.

It is extended to multiple protection measures consistent with China's own national conditions, highlighting the hierarchical relationship between policies, laws and regulations, as well as the functionally complementary collaborative network established between different actors.

Therefore, the "Grand Dictionary" provides a coherent and diversified hierarchical description of relevant institutional mechanisms from the international, national and local levels, and focuses on adopting multiple narrative methods of parallel communication and parallel communication between international law and domestic law, which helps to clarify the field of intangible cultural heritage.

Evidence-based routes and knowledge production approaches to laws, policies, institutions and baseline actions.

Based on clarifying the compilation concept of cultural policy formulation, the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention" adopted in 2003 and the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Law of the People's Republic of China"(referred to as the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Law") implemented in 2011 can not only and should be understood as normative texts and general discourse, and we can also extract institutional construction strategies with Chinese characteristics from them.(such as the investigation system, the representative item list system, and the inheritance and dissemination system), which gives evidence-based decision-making and practical implications to the process and results of cultural governance, helps clarify the interactive significance and operating mechanisms between international law and domestic law and affects various institutional measures from the national to local levels.

Therefore, this part of the entry is a "road map" for any actor who enters intangible cultural heritage protection from the perspective of cultural policy, which helps to understand the endogenous narrative connection of "intangible cultural heritage China" to "Cultural China."

Intangible cultural heritage has been passed down from generation to generation and is always in the process of continuous re-creation.

The understanding and practice of intangible cultural heritage and its protection must also keep pace with the times and adapt to local conditions.

In today's China, the practice of intangible cultural heritage protection is both diversified and localized.

It not only covers a wide range of areas of action, but also creates and applies protection strategies that are in line with the reality of multi-ethnic Chinese culture.

The "Practical Activities" section contains a total of 72 entries, covering the national cultural and ecological protection (experimental) area and the "two major bases"(Productive protection demonstration base, protection research base),"Four Major Projects"(China's National Folk Culture Protection Project, China's Excellent Traditional Culture Inheritance and Development Project, Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Protection Project, Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors Rescue Record Project) and other intangible cultural heritage protection action methods, practical models and major events with China characteristics, including international academic seminars and series of special forums that have played an important role in promoting intangible cultural heritage research, as well as important festivals, exhibitions and landmark publications.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has attached great importance to the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, made a series of decisions and arrangements, and launched a series of policy measures.

When General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected and investigated various places, he made a series of important expositions and instructions, which provide fundamental guidelines and point out the way forward for doing a good job in the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage in the new era.

In order to effectively implement the Intangible Cultural Heritage Law and the Convention, it relies on a deep understanding and understanding of the concepts, measures and mechanisms of domestic and international laws; at the same time, with the continuous development of intangible cultural heritage protection, the network of various stakeholders or multi-dimensional actors continues to expand, and the systematic sorting, standardized dissemination and service-oriented management of intangible cultural heritage ontology knowledge are becoming increasingly indispensable.

Therefore, the compilation of the "Grand Dictionary" gave priority to policy guidance and capacity building, and made active explorations in building China's intangible cultural heritage ontology knowledge system and improving the availability, usability and functionality of its management services.

It has made great contributions.

- -Strengthen people-oriented process protection by interpreting living inheritance

Since 2006, the State Council has published five batches of national-level representative projects lists, but there is no special book to explain them.

Today, the "Grand Dictionary" has been published, and it is possible to include national-level representative projects (including extended projects) in the form of "quotations", with a total of 3102 items, accounting for 46.75% of the total number of words in the book.

The "Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention" divides the field of intangible cultural heritage into five major areas, while the national-level directory is divided into folk literature, traditional music, traditional dance, traditional drama, folk art, traditional sports, entertainment and acrobatics, traditional art, traditional medicine, folk customs and other ten categories are collected, reflecting the classification strategy and narrative method of intangible cultural heritage ontology knowledge that are in line with China's own national conditions; The terms of each category are in chronological order, and the interpretation of the terms is highly summarized in terms of the definition of the item, the batches selected in the national list, distribution areas, historical evolution, technical characteristics, main values, and inheritance, etc., presenting The distribution pattern of living heritage across the country and among ethnic groups can form a cross-reference for protection actions that are classified differently but are related.

The entries in this part are also based on evidence-based evidence and do not adhere to the old style of lexicography.

From knowledge collection to classification and arrangement, from word determination to qualitative description, they present representative living heritage existing across the country in the citation of heritage projects.

In the compilation model of words, the profound meaning of intangible cultural heritage protection is also defined, expressed and promoted through the representativeness, present, sharing, practicality and diversity of heritage projects.

It is distinguished from comprehensive dictionaries such as "Ciyuan","Cihai" and "Encyclopedia of China", which mainly explain "name" or "thing"(For example, judging from the qualitative language of the entries, the "paper-cutting" and "embroidery" in the seventh edition of "Ci Hai" fall into "handicrafts", while the "epic" and "Ashima" fall into "literary works"), highlighting the purpose of this reference book to emphasize the guiding reference value of intangible cultural heritage as living heritage and its basic attributes-it is precisely from the characteristics of process practice that it transcends the traditional interpretation of "name-object" in lexicography compilation.

It is also a first move.

More importantly, entering the implementation of protection actions along these terms will form a domestic cooperation mechanism for joint protection at the national and local levels, transcending territorial management and resource competition of heritage projects, and effectively carrying out experience exchanges to respond to problems and challenges create more relevance and possibilities.

Intangible cultural heritage "depends on those who pass on knowledge of their traditions, skills and customs to other members of the community or those in other communities from generation to generation", that is, the subjects carrying the intangible cultural heritage-relevant communities, groups and individuals; the other depends on the "process", that is,"the focus of protection is on the process involved in the inheritance or dissemination of intangible cultural heritage from generation to generation" rather than the "product" as a result (UNESCO,"What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?", 2011).

The representative inheritor identification system with China characteristics has always been a focus topic of general concern in the field of intangible cultural heritage protection and the public.

The "Grand Dictionary" includes five batches of representative inheritors at the national level, and at the same time, some inheritors are added as much as possible, including masters of arts and crafts, researchers of folk art creation, and provincial inheritors, totaling 3175 items, accounting for approximately 47.85% of the total number of words.

As character entries, they are not decorated with Chinese words or complex texts.

Most of them use only hundreds of words to depict vivid portraits of contemporary characters for readers.

Based on the basic information of the inheritors, their inheritance and practice, main achievements and life deeds, they also have a "storytelling" language style, which is completely different from the character entries and their interpretations in general dictionaries.

Today's seemingly sudden surge in "new knowledge" of intangible cultural heritage actually stems from the endless cultural creativity of Chinese civilization.

Inheritors have always been the most active backbone in the process of intangible cultural heritage protection.

Behind their names are the tacit knowledge passed down from generation to generation by various ethnic groups embodies the collective memory of the Chinese nation.

Masters of oral literature such as Tan Zhenshan and Sang Zhu are not only popular storytellers, but also spiritual mentors of community education and life practice, and role models for the whole society.In this fast-paced information age, how to allow Chinese people to approach, understand and respect inheritors and their communities and groups has become more necessary than ever before to shape the characters, time and space, practices and events of cultural dialogue.

The inheritors entries included in the "Grand Dictionary" will become a valuable resource for telling the story of China well: Following the footsteps of the masters, we will awaken the people's cultural consciousness, ignite the spark of the spiritual world, inject the contemporary significance of traditional practice into the process of intangible cultural heritage protection, and practice the people-centered protection concept with practical actions.

Perhaps the biggest gain from searching the "Grand Dictionary" is not to directly find core concepts or key terms, but to have the opportunity to come into contact with previously unfamiliar intangible cultural heritage practices and the knowledge "blind spots" it illuminates in one volume.

Especially those representative inheritors who are still little-known will lead us into many "unfamiliar areas" in the field of intangible cultural heritage.

According to the author's preliminary findings, there are many new knowledge, new discoveries and new understandings: As each page is opened, the reflexive thinking of "learning in the people" will emerge in the "cultural journey" that stretches between the lines.

Through a cross-section scan of intangible cultural heritage practices and their inheritors across the country and ethnic groups, this dictionary clarifies how no matter where we originate, the intangible cultural heritage practices we have passed down from generation to generation have profoundly influenced through the intersection of time and space.

Our understanding of China's excellent traditional culture also confirms the contribution of cultural diversity within the country to world cultural diversity.

- -Provide professional support to promote the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage to a new level

Currently, China's intangible cultural heritage protection work is in an important period of strategic opportunities.

During the 2022 National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Work Conference held in August this year, the national cultural authorities emphasized that they must conscientiously study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, and implement the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council."Opinions on Further Strengthening the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage" promote the implementation of the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage".

Promote the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage to a new level.

In this context, how to provide multidisciplinary and even interdisciplinary professional support for the "two creations" of China's excellent traditional culture in the field of cultural policy is particularly important.

"Introduction to Intangible Cultural Heritage" edited by Zi Wang Zuan In the 15 years since its inception (First edition in 2007, revised in 2013), domestic intangible cultural heritage research has made great progress, various academic achievements have continued to emerge, and related disciplines have become more interconnected than before.

From the revision and launch of the "China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network" in 2018, to the publication of "China Intangible Cultural Heritage" in 2021 and the Ministry of Education's inclusion of "Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection" in the undergraduate enrollment professional catalog of relevant universities and the independent enrollment scope of postgraduate degree education, etc., the discourse system on intangible cultural heritage protection with Chinese characteristics is reaching a mature stage.

The compilation and publication of "The Grand Dictionary", while comprehensively inheriting the theoretical framework and academic thinking of "Introduction", has made important breakthroughs from theory to methodology, especially the collection of concepts, terms, institutional mechanisms and actions in the field of intangible cultural heritage protection at home and abroad.

The strategy has laid a solid theoretical foundation and rich practical cases for the comprehensive construction of the ontology knowledge system of intangible cultural heritage with Chinese characteristics from multiple dimensions such as discourse, text, process, practice, and research.

The publication of "The Grand Dictionary" provides a critical knowledge spectrum for the rise of the increasingly international "heritage research" as a multidisciplinary field.

This is a summary and summary of the function, significance, and assignment of intangible cultural heritage protection in contemporary society.

It focuses on the evolution of national cultural policies and the transformation of localized practices brought about by the globalization of heritage since the 21st century.

The people-oriented process practice developed around the two core definitions of "intangible cultural heritage" and "protection" has forged a gradually enriched "toolbox" for the protection of intangible cultural heritage in China.

Therefore, this specialized dictionary with an orderly structure, clear definition, concise interpretation, and easy access can be published at the right time.

This is inseparable from the unremitting efforts of the intangible cultural heritage research team of the China Academy of Art led by editor-in-chief Wang Wenwen over the past 20 years.

It also relies on the strong support of the National Social Science Fund and Chongwen Publishing Company.

To sum up, this brand-new dictionary has abundant materials and practices evidence-based, evidence-based research methods in the field of cultural policy from many aspects.

It has many creative ideas.

It is inevitable that some relics will be discovered.

For example, in the "Basic Theory" and "Institutional Mechanisms" sections, culture or cultural diversity are mentioned in many places, but key documents in the formation and development of international cultural policies, such as the Mexico City Declaration on Cultural Policy (1982) and the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001) are not included.

Among the terms involved in "protection", nine specific measures proposed by the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention are listed, but keywords such as" survival "and" risks "and" threats "that are closely related to the concept of" protection "are ignored.

These terms are increasingly used in the field of intangible cultural heritage protection in recent times.

In short, the shortcomings cannot obscure the merits.

The "Dictionary" can be regarded as an important coordinate for reflecting the transformation of China's cultural policies in the new era.

It is also a milestone in comprehensively recording the performance of China's intangible cultural heritage protection.

It is necessary to find a fixed position on the bookshelves of various actors in intangible cultural heritage protection.

(This article was published in "China Cultural News" on September 29, 2022, page 7: Theory/Special topic)