The first country to legislate for the protection of intangible cultural heritage was

The first country to legislate for the protection of intangible cultural heritage in modern times was Japan, which is known as an "intangible cultural asset".

The reasons for this are as follows:

The "destruction of the country" and cultural self-awareness

Japan, which was the first country in the world to legislate for the protection of intangible cultural heritage, has left a deep impression on the world through its protection of, and respect for, the traditional culture of its own people. So much so that many people mistakenly believe that Japan is "always like this". In fact, Japan, like China, has been weakened by the collision with the strong Western culture in modern times. Learning from the West was the **** knowledge of China, Japan and many Asian countries at that time. After the Meiji Restoration in Japan, put forward the "out of Asia into Europe", the overall westernization of the national policy, the whole Japanese society actively learn from the West, Meiji five years (1872), the Japanese Ministry of Education to learn from the Western education system to establish the school, the enactment of the school system. In the sixth year of the Meiji era, sumo wrestling was banned on the grounds that it was a "barbaric game of nudity". In the field of architecture, Western-style buildings began to appear in large numbers and led the architectural trend, beginning to change the appearance of Japan. In the field of theater, not only were Western operas and dramas (new plays) imported, but even Kabuki, Japan's national treasure, was remodeled in the form of Western operas. At that time, Japan's "Theater Improvement Movement" advocated the abandonment of the abstract essence of oriental theater, the adoption of the concept of Western theater realism, the adoption of "figurative" stage sets and choreography, and even the abandonment of the "Kabuki" traditional music, music, and dance. It even advocated the abandonment of the traditional musical means, singing methods and performance programs of "Kabuki", and the adoption of Western opera's musical compositional techniques and "American singing style". It should be said that the degree of "westernization" in Japan at that time was far greater than that in China, and today Japan has become the first country in the world to put forward the concept of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, and the first country to take the safeguarding of its intangible cultural heritage as a national act, which is in fact a great transformation. From the Meiji Restoration to its defeat in the Second World War, Japan underwent a socio-psychological change from total westernization to the re-affirmation and high regard for traditional Japanese culture, which, it should be said, was the painful reflection of the only country in the world to have experienced a nuclear war after it had fallen into defeat and was occupied by the American army, and its entire national culture was in danger of total disappearance. The Japanese nation finally realized: as an Asian country, a "modernization" late country, no matter how determined you are to "leave Asia and enter Europe", the West still regard you as the "East"; more importantly, the West still regard you as the "East"; and the West still regard you as the "East". "; more importantly, the "national bankruptcy" of Japan finally realized: a country can not have political, military, economic autonomy, can be in the "national affairs" on the nose, but as long as Japan's tradition and culture is still there, as long as the kimono, kimono, and other traditional Japanese culture. Culture is still there, as long as the kimono, tea ceremony, judo, sushi, tatami, kabuki, shamisen ...... traditional customs, rituals and festivals are still there, Japan is still a complete and respected country. The significance of cultural independence is not symbolic, but substantive, and is independence in the most essential sense.