[Song Junhua] The contractual spirit of intangible cultural heritage protection and sustainable development
Abstract: As a social practice involving multiple forces, intangible cultural heritage protection must follow the spirit of contract and the concept of sustainable development.
The Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Implementation; Operation Guidelines and Ethical Principles for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage are international contracts for intangible cultural heritage protection.
The purpose is to ensure that each State party can protect intangible cultural heritage based on freedom, equality, mutual benefit and trustworthiness.
The concept of protecting intangible cultural heritage and promoting its sustainable development.
The spirit of contract and sustainable development are two aspects of intangible cultural heritage protection.
The former emphasizes that freedom, equality, mutual benefit and trustworthiness are the basic principles of intangible cultural heritage protection, while the latter emphasizes that intergenerational fairness and harmonious development are the fundamental goals of intangible cultural heritage protection.
The two are based on each other and coexist symbiotically.
Keywords: intangible cultural heritage protection; spirit of contract; sustainable development; sharing; collaboration; author profile: Song Junhua (1968-), male, from Fuping, Shaanxi Province, professor of the Chinese Department of China Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Director of the Chinese Department of Xinhua College, Sun Yat-sen University.
(Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510275) Fund: National Social Science Fund major project "Research on the List of Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage Projects and Improvement Design of Representative Inheritors System"(project number: 17ZDA168); Ministry of Education base major project "Research on China Experience in Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection"(project number: 17JJD850005); Phase results of the project "Research on Basic Theoretical Issues of Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Sustainable Development" commissioned by the Ministry of Culture;
1.
Introduction
Intangible cultural heritage protection is essentially a conscious cultural intervention practice.
Culture is formed and developed in the contradiction between intervention and intervention.
There is no culture without interference.
Acknowledging the legitimacy of cultural intervention is the basic prerequisite for our discussion of the contractual spirit and sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage protection.
Any kind of cultural intervention must face this question: How is cultural intervention implemented? What are the goals of cultural intervention?
Since the new century, the protection of intangible cultural heritage advocated by UNESCO has produced two important results: one is to clarify the legitimacy of cultural intervention; the other is to establish the principles of cultural intervention: the spirit of contract and sustainable development.
However, academic circles have paid less attention to these two results and few systematic theoretical explanations have been made.
To this day, some scholars still have doubts or even negative attitudes towards intangible cultural heritage protection.
Some people believe that intangible cultural heritage protection is a top-down movement that is as unsustainable as all other movements.
Others believe that intangible cultural heritage protection is essentially a heritage practice that brings only "authenticity illusions." Others believe that using unified rules to protect the diversity of intangible cultural heritage is like asking for fish from a tree.
Some people even believe that intangible cultural heritage protection has been reduced to "destructive protection" and that hierarchical, over-commercial and entertainment behaviors are undermining our cultural traditions.
It is true that behind the great achievements, there have also been some examples of intangible cultural heritage being alienated and destroyed in the protection of intangible cultural heritage.
This has caused people to worry about intangible cultural heritage protection, but this cannot change our original intention and confidence in intangible cultural heritage protection.
The concept of intangible cultural heritage protection advocated by UNESCO is in line with the laws and trends of the development of human society, and is scientific, operational and forward-looking.
More importantly, it establishes two important practical principles for intangible cultural heritage protection: the spirit of contract and sustainable development.
The spirit of contract is a social consciousness developed in the practice of commodity trading.
The word "contract" comes from Latin and originally means transaction.
The spirit of contract is a social consciousness of freedom, equality, mutual benefit, and trustworthiness developed from the justice of the exchange of goods.
The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Promoting the Rule of Law" adopted by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China pointed out: "Strengthen the construction of citizens 'morality, carry forward China's excellent traditional culture, enhance the moral heritage of the rule of law, strengthen the awareness of rules, and advocate the spirit of contract and promote public order and good customs." The spirit of contract is a mainstream consciousness advocated by our country's socialist construction.
Sustainable development is a concept about the coordinated development of nature, science and technology, economy and society.
It originated from the World Nature Conservation Outline jointly published by the World Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the United Nations Environment Program (UN-EP) and the Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1980.
The "Our Common Future" report issued by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987 provided a relatively systematic definition of the concept of sustainable development and became the most influential among many definitions: "It can meet the needs of contemporary people without affecting future generations.
Development that poses a hazard to their ability to meet their needs." In other words, sustainable development is a development that reflects intergenerational fairness and harmonious sharing of human society.
The spirit of contract and sustainable development are not only the concepts of UNESCO's own construction, but also the basic principles for its intangible cultural heritage protection.
As a specialized agency under the United Nations, UNESCO was established based on the spirit of contract between member states.
The purpose is to promote international cooperation in education, science and culture to facilitate mutual understanding among peoples of all countries and safeguard World peace and sustainable development.
Intangible cultural heritage protection is a concrete expression of UNESCO's responsibilities, with the purposes of: "1.
Protect intangible cultural heritage;2.
Respect the intangible cultural heritage of relevant communities, groups and individuals;3.
Improve awareness of the importance of intangible cultural heritage and its mutual appreciation at the local, national and international levels;4.
Carry out international cooperation and provide international assistance." The reason why UNESCO advocates the protection of intangible cultural heritage is that intangible cultural heritage "is a melting pot of cultural diversity and a guarantee of sustainable development." Obviously, intangible cultural heritage protection aims at the existence of cultural diversity and takes the spirit of contract and sustainable development as the implementation principles.
So, how do the spirit of contract and sustainable development manifest and act on intangible cultural heritage protection? What is the relationship between the two? How to adhere to the contractual spirit and sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage protection?
2.
Endogenous and Outreach Contract Spirit
Intangible cultural heritage protection is a protection practice in which "insiders" and "outsiders" participate together.
Any protector of an intangible cultural heritage project will be restricted by blood, ethnic group, region, nationality or other factors to form different close and distant relationships with the project.
Based on their close relationship with intangible cultural heritage projects, intangible cultural heritage protectors have the difference between "insiders" and "outsiders".
The boundaries between "insiders" and "outsiders" of an intangible cultural heritage project are relative and vary depending on different judgment standards.
For example, for Cantonese opera, a representative project of human intangible cultural heritage, judging from the criteria of whether to directly participate in Cantonese opera performances, the cast members of Cantonese opera troupes and troupes, including actors, directors, screenwriters, bands, stage artists, etc., are "insiders", and all other non-Cantonese opera cast members are "outsiders"; If we look at the criteria of whether we directly participate in Cantonese opera performances or regularly participate in Cantonese opera viewing, then Cantonese opera troupes, cast members and audiences who regularly participate in Cantonese opera viewing are all "insiders", and others who neither engage in Cantonese opera performances nor regularly watch Cantonese opera performances are "outsiders"; Judging from the standards of whether they understand Cantonese and their cultural identity with Cantonese opera, people who understand Cantonese and have a high degree of identification with Cantonese opera are "insiders", and people who do not understand Cantonese and have a low degree of identification with Cantonese opera are "outsiders".
Generally speaking, intangible cultural heritage "insiders" are the leaders and have the dominant power in intangible cultural heritage protection; intangible cultural heritage "outsiders" are assistants and have no dominant power in intangible cultural heritage protection, but have the right to participate.
The spirit of contract is a social consciousness based on the contractual relationship between people.
Since there are differences between "insiders" and "outsiders" for intangible cultural heritage protectors, the contractual spirit of intangible cultural heritage protection naturally has differences between "endogenous" and "outreach".
The endogenous contractual spirit is formed on the basis of the contractual relationship between intangible cultural heritage "insiders" and refers to the contractual spirit of inheriting intangible cultural heritage formed between generations of intangible cultural heritage "insiders".
For example, the tacit understanding and integrity established between actors and apprentices in Cantonese opera in inheriting certain Cantonese opera performance skills is the endogenous contractual spirit of Cantonese opera.
It is mostly manifested in the fact that the apprentices take inheriting Cantonese opera as their own responsibility.
The masters love their apprentices like sons and teach them carefully; the apprentices respect their teachers like fathers and study hard.
In addition, the contractual spirit formed among the audience (ticket mates) who regularly participate in Cantonese opera viewing and inheritance of Cantonese opera is also an endogenous contractual spirit of Cantonese opera.
The spirit of endogenous contracts is the basic guarantee for spiritual exchanges and cultural inheritance between generations of intangible cultural heritage "insiders".
In traditional rural society, the spirit of intangible cultural heritage and endogenous contract is often closely related to the blood, geography, ethnic origin, industry origin, and religious origin of "insiders" and apprentices, and is presented as family rules and family precepts, local township agreements, spiritual identification of clan rules and ethnic precepts, rules and regulations, and teachings.
There are usually very strict apprenticeship ceremonies in industries such as oral tradition, performance practice, and handicrafts, including ceremonies such as worshiping the ancestor, worshiping the industry god, performing apprenticeship ceremonies, and listening to the master's instructions.
The master-apprentice contract generally stipulates the rights and obligations of both parties, such as the master providing board and board for the apprentice, and the apprentice providing the master with miscellaneous services such as serving tea and pouring water.
Some also stipulate the number of years for which the apprentice will serve the master free of charge after graduation.
The proverb "My parents are the ones who gave birth to me, and my teachers are the ones who taught me" compares the spirit of the contract between master and apprentice with the kinship between father and son.
The spirit of endogenous contract plays an important role in standardizing and ensuring the order of internal inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, and is also a criterion for people to judge whether intangible cultural heritage is legitimate or not.
However, in traditional society, the endogenous spirit of contract is often associated with kinship ethics, clan rules and regulations, and religious rituals, and is characterized by dependence, mystery and closure.
With the development of the times and changes in concepts, the spirit of traditional endogenous contracts is also changing.
The spirit of outreach contracts refers to the spirit of contracts established between insiders and outsiders, between outsiders and outsiders, or between insiders of different intangible cultural heritage.
Sometimes it refers to the spirit of freedom, equality, mutual benefit, and trustworthiness formed between intangible cultural heritage insiders and outsiders regarding the contractual relationship between intangible cultural heritage production and consumption, development and development, interpretation and interpretation, performance and performance; sometimes it refers to the contractual spirit of mutual respect, equal exchanges, co-construction and sharing, collaborative development, honesty and trustworthiness formed between intangible cultural heritage outsiders and outsiders, and insiders of different intangible cultural heritage.
The Convention on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage adopted or approved by UNESCO and the regulations on the protection of intangible cultural heritage promulgated by various governments are all reflections of the spirit of the outreach contract on intangible cultural heritage protection.
The Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Ethical Principles for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage are concrete manifestations of the spirit of the outreach contract for intangible cultural heritage protection.
The Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage is a multi-layered multilateral contract reached between States parties and UNESCO and between States parties on the protection of intangible cultural heritage.
It is a contract between "insiders" and "outsiders" of intangible cultural heritage projects and between "insiders" of different intangible cultural heritage projects.
It embodies the spirit of the contract characterized by mutual understanding, respect, joint construction and sharing, and emphasizes the significance of intangible cultural heritage protection to human cultural diversity, cultural exchanges and sustainable development.
Emphasis is placed on respect for existing international rules, as well as respect for the intangible cultural heritage of different communities, groups or individuals.
The "Ethical Principles for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage" are the working principles for intangible cultural heritage protection approved by UNESCO.
They are mainly restrictive principles for "outsiders" of intangible cultural heritage protection.
There are 12 articles in total.
The core content is to require intangible cultural heritage protection.
Respect the subjectivity of intangible cultural heritage communities, groups or individuals and protect their autonomy, participation and benefit rights in intangible cultural heritage protection.
In addition, the 1998 Regulations on the Declaration of Representative Works of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and the 2014 Implementation Guidelines are also manifestations of outreach contracts for intangible cultural heritage protection.
Intangible cultural heritage holders and inheritors of each contracting state are required to fulfill these contracts as contracting parties.
When confirming the practice of "Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity","List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Urgent Need of Protection" and "List of Excellent Practices", the "Implementation Operation Guidelines" not only emphasize the subject rights and commitments of communities, groups or individuals, but also emphasize the implementation of international contracts.
The spirit of outreach contracts is the binding force on intangible cultural heritage protection and an important manifestation of the legitimacy of cultural interference.
It provides support for the establishment of an external guarantee mechanism for intangible cultural heritage protection.
However, how to reflect the common ideals of mankind and how to reflect the science and fairness commonly recognized by contract participants are issues that the spirit of outreach contracts must face.
The spirit of endogenous contracts and the spirit of outreach contracts are closely related and mutually exclusive.
They jointly promote the effectiveness and legitimacy of the identification and protection of intangible cultural heritage.
Intangible cultural heritage as defined in the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage is not only a cultural practice recognized by a community, group or individual ("regarded as its cultural heritage"), but also a living and intergenerational inheritance that inherits and enhances the community and group's identity.
Sense of identity, sense of continuity, and creativity; it is also a cultural practice recognized by others (represented by UNESCO), marked by its compliance with international human rights documents, the need for mutual respect, and compliance with sustainable development.
Obviously, intangible cultural heritage is a reflection of the spirit of contract between people and the result of the joint action of the two spirit of contract: outreach and endogenous.
In terms of the spirit of the contract, Regina Bendix has some truth when saying that "cultural heritage does not exist, but is created."
3.
Sustainable development of context and ontology
Like other social practices, intangible cultural heritage protection is essentially one of the contents of social development and will also face sustainable development issues.
Intangible cultural heritage protection contributes to and is subject to the sustainable development of society, and also has sustainable development requirements.
Therefore, there are two types of sustainable development for intangible cultural heritage protection, namely, contextual sustainable development and ontological sustainable development.
Contextual sustainable development means that intangible cultural heritage protection takes social sustainable development as its own context, obeys and serves social sustainable development.
Judging from the purposes, goals and principles of intangible cultural heritage protection, intangible cultural heritage protection is based on the background of sustainable development.
UNESCO has made many discussions on the contextualized sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage protection.
For example, the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage points out that on the one hand,"intangible cultural heritage is the guarantee of sustainable development" is UNESCO's development.
The prerequisite for intangible cultural heritage protection; on the other hand, complying with sustainable development is also the basic condition for UNESCO to recognize intangible cultural heritage.
In addition, UNESCO more clearly pointed out the relationship between intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development in its Implementation Guidelines (2016).
Ontology sustainable development refers to the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage protection, that is, the sustainable development of people's practice of ensuring the vitality of intangible cultural heritage.
The sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage protection is measured by the vitality of intangible cultural heritage.
The vitality of intangible cultural heritage depends on the practice of intangible cultural heritage protection.
The core of intangible cultural heritage protection lies in people.
People's concepts, abilities and practical methods adopted are the three factors that restrict intangible cultural heritage protection.
Practitioners include not only "insiders" such as intangible cultural heritage holders and inheritors, but also "outsiders" such as government managers and derivative developers.
"Insiders" are the main body of intangible cultural heritage and are the internal cause;"outsiders" can only participate in intangible cultural heritage protection through communication and coordination with insiders, which is the external cause.
First of all, the practitioner's concept is formed and developed in the historical inheritance and contemporary development of intangible cultural heritage, and is the primary factor restricting the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage.
How insiders understand intangible cultural heritage protection determines the direction and method of intangible cultural heritage protection.For example, Cantonese opera has three different functional forms in the historical development process: Cantonese opera with folk rituals, Cantonese opera with artistic aesthetics, and Cantonese opera with cultural heritage.
Different concepts of Cantonese opera have influenced people's choices about the vitality of Cantonese opera and the way it inherits it.
In traditional rural life, Cantonese opera is often associated with folk rituals, sacrifices, ancestral rituals, festivals and other folk rituals.
The main purpose of performing and watching operas is not artistic aesthetics, but ritual, which is a concrete reflection of people's desire to exorcise evil spirits.
Under this concept, the vitality of Cantonese opera is often judged not by the artistic level of Cantonese opera or the number of audiences watching the theater, but by the survival of community folk customs and their demand for Cantonese opera.
The folk demands of Cantonese opera practitioners have become constraints.
The primary factor in the vitality of Cantonese opera.
In other words, the sanctity of folk customs is the leading force in the inheritance and development of Cantonese opera.
In urban theaters, Cantonese opera has transformed into an artistic practice with entertainment aesthetics as its main function.
Cantonese opera performers and viewers have established the concept that Cantonese opera is art.
Whether the practice of Cantonese opera conforms to people's artistic and entertainment concepts at that time is an important factor that restricts the vitality of Cantonese opera.
In the context of intangible cultural heritage protection, both Cantonese opera in rural communities and Cantonese opera in urban theaters have been given a new meaning, namely, the meaning of cultural heritage.
Cantonese opera practice has developed from folk rituals and artistic practices to intangible cultural heritage Protection, Cantonese opera performers and viewers have become inheritors of Cantonese opera heritage.
Taking Cantonese opera as a protection concept that enhances the sense of history and continuity of communities, regions and industries is an important factor restricting the vitality of Cantonese opera practice.
Concepts determine the direction of practice.
All debates on intangible cultural heritage protection in history are closely related to the concepts of practitioners.
Secondly, the ability of practitioners to engage in intangible cultural heritage protection is the basic condition for the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage protection.
The ability of intangible cultural heritage inheritors restricts whether intangible cultural heritage can be implemented smoothly.
The concept is to generally answer the question of why intangible cultural heritage is passed down, while the ability answers the question of whether intangible cultural heritage can be passed down.
In traditional community life, the capacity building of intangible cultural heritage inheritors is mainly carried out through acquisition and oral and spiritual teaching between apprentices and apprentices.
Each intangible cultural heritage project in each community and group has established its own inheritance training system in the course of its own development history., such as the apprenticeship system, family class system, and academic class system.
However, with the establishment of the modern education system, these methods of cultivating inheritors of informal education are gradually being replaced by formal education.
Therefore, the capacity building of intangible cultural heritage practitioners will increasingly rely on formal education.
The "China Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors Training Plan" currently vigorously promoted by my country is to cultivate intangible cultural heritage inheritors from the perspective of their practical ability and understanding level.
This work is also stated in the second point of paragraph 1 of "Education, Publicity and Capacity Building" of the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
States parties should strive to adopt "specific education and training programs for relevant communities and groups" so that intangible cultural heritage can be recognized, respected and promoted in society.
In addition, capacity training for external managers and derivative developers of intangible cultural heritage projects is also very necessary.
The training of intangible cultural heritage protection management cadres, communication talent training and creative development talent training carried out in my country are all important measures to build the intangible cultural heritage protection capabilities of outsiders.
Finally, practitioners 'efforts to protect intangible cultural heritage will also restrict the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage.
Intangible cultural heritage protection methods answer the question of how to inherit intangible cultural heritage and develop with the development of society.
In modern society, most intangible cultural heritage practices rooted in traditional closed farming societies are facing the impact of new practice methods represented by modern technology.
Since the new century, manufacturing technology, material technology, digital technology, Internet technology, and artificial intelligence technology have developed rapidly.
The protection of intangible cultural heritage in traditional communities has faced many choices such as manual production and machine production, natural materials or artificial materials, individual production or division of labor and cooperation, and field performances.
Whether it is a virtual performance, personalized production or mass production.
If an intangible cultural heritage practitioner chooses the former in each option, then he and the practices he engages will face the risk of being eliminated by society; if he chooses the latter, then he and the practices he engages will face the problem of so-called "authenticity" torture and subjectivity transfer while developing.
Intangible cultural heritage practitioners must seek a balance between the two options.
This is a concrete manifestation of practical methods that restrict the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage protection.
To truly integrate intangible cultural heritage protection into modern life and become a strong competitor with modern cultural practice, we must absorb modern science and technology, improve practical tools, and update practical methods.
Of course, the application of modern technology has also brought challenges to the regional, ethnic and community nature of intangible cultural heritage.
Intangible cultural heritage must be redefined in a new expanded category.
This is a consensus that must be reached in the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage.
Otherwise, we will end the development of intangible cultural heritage because of the so-called illusions of "authenticity" and "authenticity".
The core of the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage protection practice lies in people.
People's concepts, abilities and methods of engaging in intangible cultural heritage are the three basic factors that restrict the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage.
A correct grasp of the connotation, purpose and principles of intangible cultural heritage protection, and a scientific understanding of the specific practical characteristics and practical experience of intangible cultural heritage are the basis for forming scientific concepts, methods and acquiring practical capabilities.
In our country, intangible cultural heritage protection must not only adhere to the basic theory of international intangible cultural heritage protection, but also combine with the specific reality of China; it must consider not only the interests of the country, but also the rights and interests of communities and groups.
Adhering to the concept of intangible cultural heritage protection with China characteristics is the basic guarantee for the sustainable development of my country's intangible cultural heritage.
Contextual sustainable development and ontological sustainable development are not only different from each other but also complement each other.
Contextual sustainable development provides an environment for intangible cultural heritage protection, clarifying that the basic prerequisite for the identification and protection of intangible cultural heritage is sustainable development, that is, intangible cultural heritage protection is aimed at complying with and serving the sustainable development of society.
Therefore, the recognition, protection and development of intangible cultural heritage projects must be done in accordance with the standards of sustainable social development.
Any culture that does not conform to sustainable development cannot be recognized as intangible cultural heritage projects.
Ontology sustainable development is aimed at the protection of intangible cultural heritage itself, establishing a sustainable development path for intangible cultural heritage protection, affirming that intangible cultural heritage holders and inheritors carry out inheritance and innovation in accordance with the idea of sustainable development, and attaching importance to the construction of intangible cultural heritage protection capabilities., encourage the integration of intangible cultural heritage into life, and advocate the development concept of seeing people, seeing things, and seeing life.
4.
Conclusion
The spirit of contract and sustainable development are two perspectives for understanding intangible cultural heritage protection.
The former emphasizes that the practice of intangible cultural heritage protection is a practice that handles contractual relationships between people, and affirms that both endogenous contracts and outreach contracts must abide by the contractual spirit of freedom, equality, reciprocity and trustworthiness.
The latter emphasizes that the practice of intangible cultural heritage protection is a recognized and inevitable selective practice, and affirms that both the environment and the ontology must adhere to the path of sustainable development.
In a certain sense, the spirit of contract and sustainable development are the essential attributes of intangible cultural heritage protection, which accompany intangible cultural heritage protection.
The spirit of contract is the starting point and guarantee for intangible cultural heritage protection.
The concept of intangible cultural heritage protection, the identification of intangible cultural heritage lists and the formulation of intangible cultural heritage protection rules, and even the proposal and selection of intangible cultural heritage protection methods such as rescue protection, productive protection, and overall protection are all closely related to the spirit of the contract.
The endogenous spirit of contract is a reflection of the contractual relationship between intangible cultural heritage production and consumers and between their respective generations formed in the development process of intangible cultural heritage.
It is the intrinsic spiritual driving force for the formation and development of intangible cultural heritage.
If there is no solid and sustainable intangible cultural heritage contract established between intangible cultural heritage inheritors and apprentices, intangible cultural heritage cannot exist and cannot be passed down.
The spirit of outreach contracts is the reflection of the contractual relationship between intangible cultural heritage "insiders" and "outsiders","outsiders" and "outsiders" in the dissemination and exchange of intangible cultural heritage across communities, regions, groups, industries, and cultures.
It is the external spiritual force for the protection and development of intangible cultural heritage.
The spirit of outreach contracts is an environment for endogenous contractual spirit, which will affect the survival and development of endogenous contractual spirit.
Sustainable development is the way and goal of intangible cultural heritage protection.
As a cultural practice of humanistic intervention, intangible cultural heritage protection must and can only be carried out under social consensus.
Sustainable development is the basic consensus of mankind on development.
It is characterized by the balance between development needs and constraints, and is based on intergenerational fairness.
The principle.
Intangible cultural heritage protection is regarded as the context and purpose of one's own sustainable development.
On the one hand, intangible cultural heritage protection is proposed in the context of sustainable development and is an integral part of sustainable development.
The intangible cultural heritage defined by the UNESCO Convention is based on compliance with sustainable development.
According to such a definition, culture that does not conform to or violates sustainable development cannot be recognized as intangible cultural heritage to be protected.
Such provisions also apply to the recognition and protection of intangible cultural heritage by each State party.
Therefore, selecting intangible cultural heritage projects that meet the needs of sustainable development and protecting them is one of the basic tasks of sustainable development of mankind.
On the other hand, intangible cultural heritage protection is measured by ensuring the vitality of intangible cultural heritage projects.
The sustainable development of the vitality of intangible cultural heritage is a requirement for the development of intangible cultural heritage itself and depends on the concepts, capabilities and practical methods adopted by intangible cultural heritage practitioners.
Therefore, it is necessary to improve the awareness and ability of intangible cultural heritage practitioners to protect intangible cultural heritage and encourage them to choose appropriate methods to carry out intangible cultural heritage protection.
The spirit of contract and sustainable development are closely related and mutually beneficial.
The spirit of the contract is oriented towards sustainable development.
Only intangible cultural heritage contracts that are in line with sustainable development are effective and recognized and observed.
Sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage is based on the establishment of the spirit of contract.
Sustainable development itself is a contract shared by mankind.
Without the spirit of contract, sustainable development itself is meaningless and an illusion.
By examining intangible cultural heritage protection from the spirit of contract and sustainable development, we can have a new understanding of some issues.
For example, the discussion of "authenticity" arising from the protection of intangible cultural heritage.
From the perspective of contract spirit and sustainable development, authenticity is actually a kind of contract on people's understanding of intangible cultural heritage protection, which is based on intangible cultural heritage communities, groups, etc.
It is formed by the contract between the holder or inheritors and the "outsiders" of intangible cultural heritage.
People always regard the attributes that conform to the value demands of "insiders" and "outsiders" as the authenticity of intangible cultural heritage.
Since the value demands of "insiders" and "outsiders" always change, they are not always consistent, which leads to disputes and discussions between "insiders" and "outsiders" on the authenticity of intangible cultural heritage at a certain historical moment and space.
In fact, only intangible cultural heritage is in line with universally recognized sustainable development.
The difference in the perception of authenticity between "outsiders" and "insiders" is insignificant and will not hinder people's investment and participation in intangible cultural heritage protection.
It is meaningless to discuss the authenticity of intangible cultural heritage itself.
It must be discussed in the context of contract spirit and sustainable development.
In addition, people's various criticisms of the review of the intangible cultural heritage list, such as the inheritance brought about by representative works, which causes the de-regionalization, de-communization and grading of intangible cultural heritage.
In fact, these problems are not the inevitable result of intangible cultural heritage protection.
They are caused by people's failure to follow the spirit of the contract and the concept of sustainable development.
Perhaps the current rules on intangible cultural heritage protection contracts still have flaws and can be discussed, but each contracting party must bear the responsibility for the problems caused by the failure to implement the spirit of the contract in the execution of the contract.
For example, in the protection of representative works or representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage projects, what is often criticized in many places is the phenomenon of "emphasizing declaration and neglecting protection" or "waiting for help" in protection.
In essence, everyone is unaware of the government and inheritors.
As a contracting party to intangible cultural heritage protection, each has its own scope of rights and obligations, and must abide by the spirit of the contract.
After nearly 20 years of hard work, many contractual rules have been established for the protection of intangible cultural heritage at both the international and national levels.
The importance of protecting intangible cultural heritage to the sustainable development of mankind has also been generally recognized.
However, how to promote the spirit of contract and how to combine intangible cultural heritage protection with sustainable development still have many specific and complex issues to be discussed.
We firmly believe that adhering to the spirit of contract and sustainable development is an inevitable choice for intangible cultural heritage protection.
(The article was originally published in "Cultural Heritage" 2018 issue 03)