Liu Kuili: Intangible cultural heritage declaration is a "military order", not a commercial advertisement

As an ancient civilized country, China has a long historical and cultural tradition and extremely rich intangible cultural heritage.

In the grand blueprint for building socialism with China characteristics, and in the four-in-one strategic layout of politics, economy, society and culture, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Law officially implemented since June 1 this year is of great significance and is a new milestone in the process of cultural construction.

Elevate my country's intangible cultural heritage protection to a requirement at the legal and institutional level to provide institutional guarantees for the continuation of the roots of the nation.

Human beings are both creators of material culture and creators of intangible culture.

Material culture provides the necessary conditions for human survival, but the creation of intangible culture is the most fundamental symbol that distinguishes humans from other animals.

For a long time, the intangible culture created and lived in the general public has not been elegant and has been disparaged.

In addition, foreign cultures have been increasingly over-praised, making the soul and roots of our nation gradually forgotten.

The implementation of this law will have a very positive impact on changing this situation.

Although the Intangible Cultural Heritage Law is an administrative law in nature, it involves compatriots of all ethnic groups across the country.

It is related to the present and faces the future.

It is not only beneficial to the well-being of the general public of our country, but also affects the diverse development of human culture.

This law elevates my country's intangible cultural heritage protection to a requirement at the legal system level and a national will, and confirms people's wishes as the administrative responsibility of the national department.

This will enable the survival and promotion of intangible cultural heritage.

Better protection will also play a better role in improving the cultural awareness of the whole people.

The inheritor is not a separate existence.

Protecting intangible cultural heritage depends on the public's cultural consciousness.

In the years of intangible cultural heritage protection, government departments at all levels, especially cultural authorities, have done a lot of work and achieved obvious results in a short period of time.

The general public's sense of happiness and identity have been enhanced.

Cultural awareness has been improved, and people have seen it in their eyes and rejoiced in their hearts.

Now, the implementation of this law will enable cultural administrative departments at all levels to better promote this work: pay attention to the promotion of the entire intangible cultural heritage so that it can play a huge role in the construction of socialist culture; pay attention to the subjects of this heritage How to pass on this heritage in an orderly and effective manner to the next generation; pay attention to the ecological environment of this heritage so that it can survive in a better atmosphere and environment.

This is not only a duty requirement imposed by this administrative law on administrative departments at all levels, but also a glorious historical contribution of this generation.

The inheritors of intangible cultural heritage are the broad masses of people of all ethnic groups in our country.

In a sense, it includes you and me, including each and every one of us.

We celebrate the New Year and celebrate the holidays, we hold various rituals, we sing and tell stories, we, a rich symbolic system, we, superb handicrafts...

In all the lifestyles of our Chinese nation, we contain rich intangible cultural heritage.

Those outstanding representative inheritors are the conservators of our national culture and glorious traditional cultural elites.

Protecting outstanding representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage is the key core of protecting intangible cultural heritage.

But at the same time, it should be said that inheritors are not an isolated existence.

They must be supported by corresponding groups so that the entire group, community, and ethnic group can jointly shoulder the important responsibility of the survival and promotion of intangible cultural heritage.

Therefore, the important task of protecting intangible cultural heritage is to improve the cultural awareness of the general public.

Declaring intangible cultural heritage is a "military order", not an honor list, let alone a commercial advertisement

The purpose of the protection of intangible cultural heritage, as stipulated in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Law, is to "inherit and carry forward the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation, promote the construction of socialist spiritual civilization, and strengthen the protection and preservation of intangible cultural heritage." In my understanding, this is a solemn and glorious public welfare undertaking that serves reality and history.

Nowadays, some places and institutions use intangible cultural heritage as signboards and pursue commercial benefits on some occasions.

This violates the purpose of intangible cultural heritage protection and is indeed a problem that everyone criticizes.

I believe that applying for inclusion in the list of representative works of intangible cultural heritage at all levels is a "military order", a solemn commitment, and a declaration to the whole society to assume the historical responsibility of protecting this heritage; this is not an honor list, let alone a commercial advertising.

If protection is used as a means and the pursuit of commercial interests is the purpose, it will not only violate the original intention of protecting intangible cultural heritage, but also violate the just-implemented Intangible Cultural Heritage Law, but will also cause precious intangible cultural heritage to be undeserved.

The damage makes us feel ashamed to our historical ancestors and future generations.

(The author is an honorary member of the Faculty of China Academy of Social Sciences and honorary president of China Folk Society.

Interviewed and compiled by our reporters Yin Hong and Wang Yiyin)