Does the art of carved paper-cutting belong to intangible cultural heritage?

The art of carved paper-cutting belongs to intangible cultural heritage.

According to the definition of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) refers to the practices, performances, expressions, knowledge systems and skills, as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith, that are recognized as part of the cultural heritage of communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals.

The intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly being reinvented by communities and groups in response to changes in their environment, their interactions with the natural world and historical conditions, while at the same time providing them with a sense of identity and history, thus contributing to cultural diversity and stimulating the creativity of humankind.

According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Intangible Cultural Heritage, the intangible cultural heritage refers to the traditional cultural expressions that have been handed down from generation to generation by the peoples and are regarded as an integral part of their cultural heritage, as well as the physical objects and places associated with the traditional cultural expressions. This includes: (i) traditional oral literature and the language that serves as its carrier; (ii) traditional fine arts, calligraphy, music, dance, drama, opera and acrobatics; (iii) traditional skills, medicine and calendars; (iv) traditional rituals, festivals and other folklore; (v) traditional sports and games; and (vi) other intangible cultural heritage. The relevant provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics shall apply to objects and places that are part of the intangible cultural heritage and that are cultural relics.

Carved paper-cutting is a national intangible cultural heritage item, and is one of the typical representatives of traditional Chinese folk crafts. Famous ones are Xiaogan carved paper-cutting, Shinyang carved paper-cutting, peach carved paper-cutting and so on.

Take Xiaogan flower paper-cutting as an example. Xiaogan carved paper-cutting is the treasure of traditional Han culture, paper-cutting art in the long history of generations, constantly enriching the development, because of the special geographic location, Xiaogan carved paper-cutting fusion of the north and south of the art of the long, both the north of the rough style, but also the south of the delicate and delicate characteristics. It comes from the hands of the working people, expressing the aesthetic interests of the working people, comparing things with Xing, passing on the spirit to the shape, highlighting the style of the times, for the masses to see and hear. Xiaogan carved paper-cutting was selected as one of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage extended project list in 2008.