UNESCO Photo:VCG

Three of Chinese cultural elements, namely traditional Li textile techniques: spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering, Qiang New Year festival, and traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges, were added by UNESCO to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Thursday.

All the three items were previously included in 2009 in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Their successful inscription on Thursday in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was achieved after their effective protection efforts.

The main difference between the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is that the former is about cultural elements that face the risk of disappearing. Countries proposing such transition must commit to developing specific safeguarding plans.

"China has always placed great emphasis on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, focusing on elements that carry profound cultural value and spiritual significance," Wang Deyan, a professor from the School of Humanities and Law at the North China University of Technology, who specializes in Chinese cultural studies, told the Global Times.

The history of Chinese civilization has continued for thousands of years, and many valuable cultural practices and skills have been preserved through intangible cultural heritage.

"Qiang New Year is a mysterious and beautiful celebration, an important part of the culture of the Qiang ethnic group, one of China's ethnic groups," Bai Yongsha, a woman from the Qiang ethnic group, told the Global Times.

She noted that due to various reasons, the number of people celebrating Qiang New Year dwindled in the past. In the few remaining villages where the festival is still celebrated in its entirety, the responsibility for its inheritance has become increasingly urgent for the government.

The embroidery of the traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering is exquisite, featuring simple and natural patterns that embody a distinctive ethnic artistic style.

The traditional design and construction practices of Chinese wooden arch bridges involve using raw timber materials, traditional woodworking tools, and manual techniques. Factors such as rapid urbanization have threatened the preservation and continuation of this traditional craft.

"Protecting intangible cultural heritage is essentially protecting our culture,'' he noted.

"The inheritance of intangible cultural heritage requires a sense of urgency, especially for those projects on the 'List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding,'" Wang said. "With the development of society, how to keep these skills and traditions alive in the modern world remains a challenge."

Same as Wang, Wu Fugui, from the International Culture Exchange Centre based in Beijing, believes that the upgrade of these three new intangible cultural heritage items is not only about the protection of cultural relics but also the best way to promote and spread Chinese culture to the world.

"The success of these three items in being inscribed on the list is a concrete reflection of the Chinese government's serious commitment to the 'Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage,' its vigorous promotion of global heritage protection, and its contribution of Chinese wisdom, solutions, and strength to the global heritage protection effort," Wu told the Global Times. "Historical and cultural heritage belongs not only to us but also to future generations."

By quoting an ancient saying from Liji (Book of Rites) - "When the rites are lost, look to the countryside" - Wang said authentic culture often resides in places with better protection efforts and that intangible cultural heritage carries the "roots" of Chinese culture.

"The culture carried by intangible cultural heritage is more often reflected in everyday life, which is far more important than simple material protection," he said. "Especially with projects like the traditional textile techniques of the Li people and the Qiang New Year festival, which have preserved many culturally significant and ecologically meaningful practices, these traditions serve as cultural bonds passed down through generations."