Why should intangible cultural heritage protection "see people, things and life?"

Intangible cultural heritage is an important part of China's excellent traditional culture, and it is in our life. The contemporary practice of intangible cultural heritage is a process of combining excellent traditional culture with real life to realize creative transformation and innovative development.

In recent years, the practice of intangible cultural heritage in China has become increasingly active. Traditional festivals are revitalized, traditional performing arts and oral literature are revitalized, traditional New Year pictures with a sense of the times make the taste of the New Year more intense, and cultural creative design pays more and more attention to drawing nutrition from traditional culture. The traditional craft revitalization plan has been fully implemented, and handicrafts with regional characteristics, national characteristics and modern flavor have become consumers' favorite. Vigorous reproduction of intangible heritage plays an important role in promoting excellent moral values, enriching the accumulation of community culture, cultivating good folk customs, helping rural revitalization and precision poverty alleviation.

The protection of intangible cultural heritage in these years has established an important concept: seeing people, seeing things and seeing life. Intangible heritage is a whole cultural phenomenon. Intangible heritage is not only a product or work that embodies cultural traditions, but also a visible and participatory life. Non-genetic inheritance is a vivid practice of constantly integrating human wisdom, talent and creativity. Many people like Longquan celadon, but buying a piece of porcelain does not mean buying a legacy. Inheriting people's creative practice, unique firing skills and people's appreciation of Longquan celadon constitute the whole of Longquan celadon traditional firing skills, which is an excellent cultural heritage. Exquisite porcelain is the crystallization of exquisite skills and aesthetic concepts. "The Culture of Making and Sharing Grilled Grills and Other Pastries" is also a representative project. Similarly, eating naan is not a must. Naan itself cannot independently constitute an intangible heritage. The skill of making naan is a heritage, and so is the custom of sharing naan between neighbors and relatives. Naan is the product of baking technology and the medium of sharing customs. Protecting the intangible heritage is not to protect the baking naan, but to protect the cultural tradition of making and sharing naan. Making and posting New Year pictures is a long-standing custom in China. Protecting this heritage focuses on protecting and promoting this popular culture. If New Year pictures drift away from people's lives, they will only become a minority collection. Although there are still people painting and making New Year pictures, it cannot be said that they have been effectively protected. Only by returning to the Spring Festival and the life of every household can the New Year pictures be revived.

Therefore, the protection of intangible cultural heritage should focus on the protection of inheritance practice, inheritance ability and inheritance environment. We should respect the subject status and creative expression rights of the inheritors. Only with people's active participation and practice can we have intangible vitality and the increasing diversity of human culture. It is necessary to support the non-legacy to return to the community and life, so that the non-legacy can be reflected and passed down in the daily life of thousands of families and become the current lifestyle. (The writer is Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism)

Image source: China Tourism News

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