(by Professor Zheng Changzhong on the Way from the Hotel to Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Museum on May 25, 2025)
Good morning, dear journalists!
Welcome to Hangzhou! Just as the old Chinese saying goes, “Above is paradise, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou.” Hangzhou has been a prosperous and beautiful place since ancient times. The Zhejiang Provincial Foreign Affairs Office has done a lot of homework for the visit schedule arranged for you, taking into account all aspects such as human history, natural scenery, modern technology, education and economy.
Our first stop today is the Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Museum, and we will go to Deshou Palace in the afternoon. These two places can let you feel the ancient culture well. In the next few days, we will also take you to Zhejiang Polytechnic University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and the Hangzhou Future Science and Technology City Urban Planning Pavilion to see the current development of education and technology; we will also go to Alibaba to learn about the digital economy. Of course, the West Lake cannot be missed. As one of the most famous scenic spots in China, you will know what “paradise on earth” is like when you go there.
What’s in the Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Museum we are going to next is very important. In the past eight or nine days, you have seen a lot of unearthed cultural relics and historical sites. These things are indeed very precious and are treasures left to us by our ancestors. But cultural inheritance is not only about these visible and touchable things, but also many crafts, stories and performances passed down from generation to generation by people. These are intangible cultural heritages.
Now society is developing too fast, people’s lifestyle has changed, and technology is getting more and more developed. Some of the living habits and artistic creation methods handed down by our ancestors are slowly no longer used or learned, and many intangible cultural heritages are on the verge of being lost. Relying solely on cultural relics to record history is not enough. These “living” cultures are the real national memories. Therefore, not only China but also the whole world is trying to protect intangible cultural heritages.
China attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritages and has taken a series of measures. First, it has legislated and specially introduced the Regulations for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the People’s Republic of China to provide legal “insurance” for intangible cultural heritages. Then, a national census is carried out to register valuable intangible cultural heritage projects and determine the protection list. Next, find inheritors and encourage master craftsmen to take apprentices to pass on their craftsmanship and unique skills. Finally, carry out development. On the one hand, organize schools and communities to visit and study, and on the other hand, use digital technology to make intangible cultural heritage contents into videos and animations to let more people know.
According to the Regulations for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the People’s Republic of China, China’s intangible cultural heritages are divided into 10 major categories. These categories cover rich contents from ancient legends to traditional arts, from living skills to festival customs, showing the profound heritage of the Chinese nation’s thousand-year culture.
Among them, folk literature records the mythological stories and folk tales passed down by the Chinese for generations; traditional music includes unique folk songs and instrumental music performances from various regions; traditional dances are mostly closely related to festival activities and are full of folk customs. Traditional drama takes singing, reciting, doing and fighting as performance forms, integrating music, dance and performing arts; Quyi is an art form that tells stories and expresses emotions through rap. Traditional sports, entertainment and acrobatics reflect the Chinese people’s pursuit of physical fitness and entertainment skills; traditional art includes visual arts such as painting, sculpture and handicrafts. Traditional techniques cover various exquisite handicraft techniques from ceramic firing to paper making. Traditional medicine embodies ancient medical wisdom and treatment methods; folk customs include traditional festivals, etiquettes and belief customs in Chinese people’s lives.
For the projects listed in the intangible cultural heritage list, the Chinese government will ensure the inheritance and development of these precious cultural heritages through financial support, policy guarantees, inheritor training and other means, so that the world can see the unique charm of Chinese culture.
What these intangible cultural heritage projects look like and how they are protected, you can see and experience for yourself when you arrive at the Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Museum. I won’t reveal too much and leave some surprises for you. Thank you!
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.