Oral tradition and cultural inheritance: spine or cover with flaws

Author: Zheng Peikai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: This book is a collection that explores "intangible cultural heritage," aiming to clarify what "cultural heritage" and "intangible cultural heritage" are, why they need to be protected, why they need to be developed, how to protect them, how to develop them, what problems current policies are facing in implementation, and how these problems can be corrected and improved. First, it compiles fundamental documents related to "intangible cultural heritage" and conducts an in-depth discussion on their purposes. Second, using Kunqu Opera and Guqin as examples, which have been listed by UNESCO as "Masterpieces of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," it organizes practitioners who are actively involved in the transmission to conduct internal evaluations and reflections on the current situation. The third part consists of researchers' observations and reflections on the current situation, especially incorporating the perspective of macro cultural traditions. The final part is an appendix that lists introductions to the "intangible cultural heritage" honor projects announced by UNESCO in 2001 and 2003, the introduction of Mongolian Long Songs and Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam in the 2005 announcement, and the list of 500 "intangible cultural heritage" items announced by China in 2006.