[Wang Chenyang] Intangible Cultural Heritage Chengdu Forum 丨 Practice of Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection in China
On October 12, 2023, the much-watched 8th Chengdu International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival in China opened.
One of the important sections, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Chengdu Forum, is based on the theme of "Review and Exploration of Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Practice for the 20th Anniversary of the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage", well-known experts and scholars in the field of intangible cultural heritage at home and abroad are invited to conduct academic discussions from multiple aspects and angles, and share outstanding cases of the international community in the field of cultural heritage protection.
In conjunction with the theme of the forum, two sub-forums were also held: "Interpretation and Application of Standards for Intangible Cultural Heritage Collection and Documentation" and "Yellow River Culture and the Construction of National Cultural Park".
The forum was praised by the organizers and recognized by the industry.
Recently, we will launch relevant content of the three sections of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Chengdu Forum one after another to promote academic exchanges, experience sharing and achievement display, build consensus, and depict the vision of intangible cultural heritage development.
This is the keynote speech delivered by Wang Chenyang, Director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, at the Chengdu Forum on Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Website photo location: China's Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Practices Keynote speech at the Chengdu Forum on Intangible Cultural Heritage, People's Republic of China Wang Chenyang, Director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, October 12, 2023 Dear Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: Good afternoon everyone! I am very happy to gather with you in Jinxiu Rongcheng during the season when the fragrant osmanthus and the cool autumn wind brings you to the Chengdu Forum on Intangible Cultural Heritage."Chengdu opens in nine days, and thousands of households and doors are painted." Here, there are both beautiful mountains and rivers.
The natural style and cultural history that crown China.
In the mutual integration of nature and cultural landscape, it has created a unique land of abundance.
Here, on behalf of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the organizers who carefully prepared this forum, and to the Chinese and foreign guests and scholars who came to participate in the forum.
Warm welcome! 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereinafter referred to as the "Convention"), which is of great significance in the field of intangible cultural heritage protection.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has launched and encouraged various commemorative activities across the country at the beginning of this year.
Under the framework of the 8th China Chengdu International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival, China has specially set up a section in the forum to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Convention, which also highlights China attaches great importance to the Convention and the protection of intangible cultural heritage.
Since its adoption 20 years ago, the Convention has 181 States parties.
Thanks to the joint efforts of UNESCO and all States parties, the international intangible cultural heritage protection cause has achieved fruitful results.
Reviewing the commitments of all countries to implement the Convention and jointly looking forward to the future of intangible cultural heritage protection has the significance of carrying forward the past and opening up a new era.
I am very willing to take this opportunity to share with you the relevant situation, achievements and experience of the Chinese government in implementing the Convention.
1.
China's Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Work Intangible cultural heritage is an important part of China's excellent traditional culture, a vivid witness of the continuous inheritance of Chinese civilization, and an important foundation for connecting national sentiments and maintaining national unity.
The Chinese government has always attached great importance to intangible cultural heritage protection work.
Long before the adoption of the Convention, China had been carrying out the work of protecting traditional folk culture and actively participating in the UNESCO work of declaring representative works of oral and intangible heritage of mankind.
China acceded to the Convention in 2004, becoming the sixth country to ratify it.
As a State party, China conscientiously fulfills its obligations under the Convention and actively participates in various work under the framework of the Convention.
It has applied for 43 intangible cultural heritage projects to be included in the List of Urgent Protection, the List of Representative Works and the List of Excellent Protection Practices, and has deeply participated in the formulation and revision of the Convention's operating guidelines, and has served as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage three times.
China and UNESCO co-host the Chengdu International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival of China, and have also established an International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region supported by UNESCO in Beijing to provide intangible cultural heritage protection training services to member states in the Asia-Pacific region.
Make positive contributions to the global intangible cultural heritage capacity building strategy.
On the basis of continuously deepening its understanding and understanding of the spirit of the Convention, China has continuously explored and practiced based on its own national conditions, forming a path of intangible cultural heritage protection with China characteristics.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's intangible cultural heritage protection work has made great progress.
The level of intangible cultural heritage protection has continued to improve, and the intangible cultural heritage protection mechanism has been basically established.
Intangible cultural heritage protection plays an increasingly important role in promoting China's excellent traditional culture and promoting high-quality economic and social development.
The laws, regulations and systems for intangible cultural heritage protection have become more complete.
In 2011, the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Intangible Cultural Heritage" was promulgated and implemented.
31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country have successively issued regulations on intangible cultural heritage protection, and some cities and counties have also issued local regulations.
In 2021, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage", clarifying the goals and tasks for intangible cultural heritage protection in the new era.
A series of administrative regulations such as methods for the identification and management of representative intangible cultural heritage projects and representative inheritors, and methods for the management of cultural and ecological reserves have been continuously improved.
The level of institutionalization and legalization of intangible cultural heritage protection has continued to improve.
The intangible cultural heritage protection list system has been continuously improved.
China has established a representative directory system at the national, provincial, municipal and county levels and a name list system for representative inheritors.
Up to now, more than 100,000 representative intangible cultural heritage projects at all levels have been identified, including 1557 national-level intangible cultural heritage representative projects in 5 batches; more than 90,000 representative inheritors at all levels have been identified, including national-level representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage.
There are 3068 people in 5 batches.
23 national-level cultural and ecological protection experimental zones have been established across the country.
The central government has invested a total of 10.5 billion yuan in national intangible cultural heritage protection funds and arranged 1.8 billion yuan to implement national-level intangible cultural heritage protection and utilization facilities construction projects.
The protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage continues to deepen.
Accelerate the establishment of a reasonable batch of intangible cultural heritage inheritors, promote the integration of traditional inheritance methods with the modern education system, and broaden the training channels for intangible cultural heritage inheritors.
Improve incentive measures and increase inheritance subsidies for representative inheritors at all levels.
Implement the intangible cultural heritage recording project, support the recording of 1805 national-level representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, and complete 1040 inspections and inspections.
Implement the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors Training Program, covering a total of more than 100,000 people.
Carry out Intangible Cultural Heritage on campus activities to integrate Intangible Cultural Heritage related knowledge and content into local education, general education and school-based textbooks.
Promote Intangible Cultural Heritage theoretical research and discipline construction, more than 20 colleges and universities have established majors and disciplines for intangible cultural heritage protection in the higher education stage.
The ability to serve major national strategies has been significantly improved.
Promoting intangible cultural heritage to help targeted poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, various regions have actively built more than 2500 intangible cultural heritage workshops, covering more than 450 poverty-stricken counties and 85 national key counties for rural revitalization, promoting local economic development and enhancing social cohesion.
A collaborative mechanism for the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage in the Yellow River Basin and the Grand Canal has been established.
The protection of intangible cultural heritage in the Yellow River Basin and the Grand Canal Cultural Belt has formed a cooperative linkage effect.
Intangible cultural heritage publicity and display activities are exciting.
Every year during the "Cultural and Natural Heritage Day", nationwide intangible cultural heritage display activities are carried out, China Chengdu International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival, China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo and other activities are held, and China in cooperation with the media to produce programs such as "Intangible Cultural Heritage Open Class" and "China in Intangible Cultural Heritage".
Since December 2022,"China in Intangible Cultural Heritage" will be broadcast 11 issues in prime time on CCTV's comprehensive channel (CCTV-1) weekend evenings.
According to statistics, The first reruns of the program reached a total of 710 million viewers, and the first broadcast audience was 183 million, the highest among the comprehensive channel's prime-time season broadcasts this year.
A total of 1181 multi-platform hot searches have been included on the list, and the main topics on Weibo have been read 1.58 billion times.
Yunyou Intangible Cultural Heritage·Image Exhibition, Culture Entering Thousands of Families-Live Video Hometown Year,"Xinjiang is a Good Place" counterpart assistance to 19 provinces and cities in Xinjiang) Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition,"Tea and the World Sharing Intangible Cultural Heritage" and other activities have been formed.
Brands have been formed.
Regional and special activities in various places continue to be carried out, participating in the experience of intangible cultural heritage and perceiving the charm of traditional culture have become a new lifestyle trend, and the public's awareness and attention to intangible cultural heritage protection have been further enhanced.
2.
China's experience in intangible cultural heritage protection On the basis of respecting the basic laws of intangible cultural heritage development, China actively explores paths and methods for intangible cultural heritage protection, and has built and developed an intangible cultural heritage protection system with China characteristics.
Practice has proved that only by combining the spirit of the Convention, taking root in China culture, basing itself on China's national conditions, and forming and developing an intangible cultural heritage protection model with China characteristics can we prosper our country's intangible cultural heritage protection cause and contribute China wisdom and China solutions to international intangible cultural heritage protection work.
Looking back on the road we have taken, there are some work experience and understanding worthy of our consideration and summary.
Adhere to the people-centered development concept.
Respecting communities and groups that hold intangible cultural heritage and protecting their various rights and interests are the most important core contents of the Convention.
The main body of intangible cultural heritage is the people, and the primary task of intangible cultural heritage protection is to protect and cultivate inheritors.
All protection measures must be carried out around the foundation of the inheritance group.
We must not only take into account their current inheritance status, but also take into account their long-term development.
We must not only pay attention to their material needs, but also provide them with spiritual support and affirmation.
China's intangible cultural heritage protection work should not only pay attention to the inheritance group, but also pay attention to the vast number of intangible cultural heritage audiences other than the holders, because their needs and identities are necessary for the long-term survival and development of intangible cultural heritage.
social environment.
Intangible cultural heritage protection must stand firm on the people's stand, respect the people's creations, and protect and inherit the intangible cultural heritage that the people love, identify with, and possess.
Build a government-led action network with extensive social participation.
The Convention clarifies that each State party should take necessary measures to ensure the protection of intangible cultural heritage on its territory, and the government of the State party is the responsible subject.
The "Intangible Cultural Heritage Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulates the responsibilities of the competent national departments and local people's governments at or above the county level.
Governments at all levels have formulated a series of protection measures based on reality, implemented a series of protection actions, and worked creatively, established an overall framework for intangible cultural heritage protection work and opened up channels for the people to participate in the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.
We combine the inheritance attributes of intangible cultural heritage with the development requirements of the times, focus on protection and inheritance practices, protection and inheritance capabilities, and protection and inheritance environment, support, guide and standardize social forces to participate extensively in intangible cultural heritage protection work, and continuously consolidate the social foundation of intangible cultural heritage protection work.
Adhere to the combination of protection and utilization, and promote the creative transformation and innovative development of intangible cultural heritage.
We implement the work policy of "protection first, rescue first, rational utilization, inheritance and development" and encourage the promotion of rational utilization of intangible cultural heritage on the basis of effective protection.
Protection and utilization are a pair of basic relationships that need to be properly handled in intangible cultural heritage work.
The two are dialectically unified and complement each other.
On the one hand, we must implement the principle of protection first and comprehensively strengthen protection and management.
Implement flexible and diverse protection policies and work measures based on the different categories of intangible cultural heritage projects, and implement flexible and diverse protection policies and work measures according to the project, location, and time.
On the other hand, on the basis of good protection, based on the characteristics of the times and the needs of the people, we must regard "integrating intangible cultural heritage into contemporary life" as one of the work goals, promote the creative transformation and innovative development of intangible cultural heritage, and find the connection between traditional culture and contemporary life, making intangible cultural heritage an organic existence of people's social and cultural activities and a basic carrier of values.
At the same time, the historical value, cultural value, economic value, and aesthetic value of intangible cultural heritage should be explored, interpreted and utilized, so that the cultural elements contained in intangible cultural heritage can provide inexhaustible nourishment for literary and artistic creation and the production of cultural products.
3.
China's Outlook for Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Work The Convention points out in the preamble:"While the process of globalization and social transformation creates conditions for new dialogue among various groups, it also, like intolerance, exposes intangible cultural heritage to serious threats of damage, disappearance and destruction.
In the absence of protective resources, this threat is particularly serious." China's intangible cultural heritage protection work is also facing this challenge.
Breakthroughs in difficulties and development in adversity.
We must put intangible cultural heritage protection work in the context of modern development, and practice and explore new issues and new needs.
When we jointly face many challenges such as climate change, food security, and natural disasters, we must learn from intangible cultural heritage practice.
Knowledge, public wisdom, and folk experience can often provide effective solutions.
China's promotion of systematic protection of intangible cultural heritage is a process of re-recognizing intangible cultural heritage.
It is a systematic project of comprehensive and in-depth evaluation and consideration of various intangible cultural heritage protection work in the context of China's modernization and new opportunities.
We must adhere to and develop China's experience in intangible cultural heritage protection, adhere to the people-centered approach, and achieve integrity and innovation; Adhere to the system concept and be problem-oriented; Adhere to self-reliance, and keep the world in mind.
Intangible cultural heritage protection also needs to unite the forces of all parties, pool the wisdom of the people and resolve people's worries, and stimulate the endogenous driving force for the development of intangible cultural heritage.
We will benchmark the indicators in the comprehensive results framework of the Convention and adopt responsive measures based on scientific evaluation.
Protection measures, continue to formulate medium-and long-term protection plans, and achieve steady and long-term progress.
Chinese civilization has outstanding continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness and peace.
Protecting and inheriting the treasures left to us by our ancestors and inheriting Chinese civilization are a proper meaning and must-answer issue in the process of China's modernization.
We will continue to inherit and develop China's excellent traditional culture from a new starting point, display the spiritual identity and cultural essence of China civilization with intangible cultural heritage, tell China's story well, and continue to promote cultural prosperity, build a cultural power, and build a modern civilization of the Chinese nation.
We will continue to give full play to the advantages and synergy of the inter-ministerial joint conference system on intangible cultural heritage protection, strengthen macro design and system construction from aspects such as establishment of rules and regulations, overall planning, institution establishment, funding guarantee, organization and coordination, commendation and rewards, etc., and build a large pattern of intangible cultural heritage protection work.
Give full play to the important role of social forces in intangible cultural heritage protection, continuously build a solid social foundation for intangible cultural heritage protection work, and provide sustained impetus for intangible cultural heritage protection.
We will do a solid job in systematic protection of intangible cultural heritage, and constantly improve the policy and regulation system, directory system, theoretical research system, talent training system, communication and promotion system, inheritance and experience facility system, digital protection system and work team system construction for intangible cultural heritage protection.
Strengthen the role of intangible cultural heritage as a driving force and guarantee of sustainable development, strengthen the excavation, organization, publicity and promotion of the connotation of intangible cultural heritage, use these valuable resources to open up more innovation space, and fully integrate into contemporary social and economic development.
Continue to take practical measures in various aspects such as administration, finance, and technology, vigorously promote the construction of national-level cultural and ecological reserves, thoroughly implement the revitalization plan of China's traditional crafts, continue to promote intangible cultural heritage to help rural revitalization, and proactively align with major national strategies.
Promote the in-depth integrated development of intangible cultural heritage and tourism, ensure the sustainable practice, long-term protection and sustainable use of intangible cultural heritage, and make more contributions to the realization of sustainable development goals."China's Traditional Tea Making Skills and Related Customs" was included in the list of representative works of human intangible cultural heritage in November 2022 and received good social response.
This heritage project involves 44 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.
Representative projects.
Anji white tea making skills are one of them.Not long ago, I went to Anji County, Zhejiang Province to conduct research and learned that local villages, towns and communities rely on tea making to get rich.
Especially after "China Traditional Tea Making Skills and Related Customs" was included in the representative list, the sales volume of Anji White Tea, visibility of production skills, integration of general education on campus, media coverage, etc.
have been greatly improved.
The community and inheritors have gained tangible benefits, and the willingness to inherit and practice has become more active."A leaf enriches a common people" is precisely the role Anji white tea making skills in providing employment and sustainable livelihoods for local communities and inheritance groups, promoting gender equality, providing high-quality educational resources, integrating development with sustainable tourism, and promoting natural resources.
A vivid example of sustainable management and ecosystem protection playing a positive role in promoting inclusive economic development, peace and social cohesion.
Ladies and gentlemen, protecting intangible cultural heritage is in the general interest of mankind and is our common cause, inseparable from the joint efforts of all countries.
Protecting our intangible cultural heritage is conducive to strengthening exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations and promoting peaceful development of the world, benefiting people of all countries around the world and future generations.
We will, as always, adhere to an open and inclusive attitude and be more proactive in learning from all outstanding achievements of civilization created by mankind.
We are willing to work with other countries to respect and trust each other in accordance with the spirit and purpose of the Convention, deeply exchange experience in intangible cultural heritage protection, and share excellence.
Practice, make continuous contributions to the development of intangible cultural heritage protection, building a community with a shared future for mankind, and building lasting peace and security.
Ten years ago, in 2013, China and UNESCO jointly held a conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention in Chengdu.
We look forward to making more contributions and achieving more gains in the next decade of the development of the Convention.
We look forward to all guests contributing professional wisdom and sparks of ideas in the forum.
I wish this forum a complete success.
Thank you all!
[Editor in charge of this article: Li Zhongyan]