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"During the past five years, China has made a lot of efforts to protect its living heritage," said Ma Shengde, Deputy Director of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, in a speech at the forum.
To protect the country's living heritage, the State Council, China's cabinet, also released a national list for it. Initiated in 2006, the list now comprises 1,219 items. According to a nationwide survey, there are nearly 870,000 living heritage items in China. The government has also certified 1,488 masters—craftsmen, jewelers, carpenters, and cooks, who have inherited and will pass on distinct traditions.
As of 2011, the special fund for protecting intangible cultural heritage stood at 1.5 billion yuan ($237 million). Crucially, China's first law protecting intangible cultural heritage was passed by the National People's Congress on February 25, 2011, and went into effect on June 1, 2011.
"All these measures are echoed strongly and widely in the country," Ma said.
Avoiding commercialization
In addition to policies and laws, China has also incorporated the notion of "protection through production" into its preservation philosophy.
"Productivity and market appeal are common features of a lot of intangible cultural heritage," said Ma. "The approach has proved very helpful in protecting heritage, particularly traditional crafts."
Nevertheless, "protection through production" has been criticized for commercializing traditions and damaging their authenticity.
Some see this commercialization as effectively eroding cultural heritage. For example, the fact that fine arts works are manufactured in large quantities in factories instead of being handmade in workshops is threatening the sustainable inheritance of traditional craftsmanship.
"These cultural items are invaluable. We can't produce them limitlessly like mining coal resources," said Ma. "Cheap copies of traditional crafts dominate the market, affecting the existence of authentic artworks. The commercial production of Thangka, traditional Buddhist scrolls painted in Tibetan areas, is one example where mass production is eroding the livelihood of real artisans."
Before drawing an authentic Thangka, painters must hold a worship and cleansing ceremony to express their respect to the Buddha and their ancestors, which is the core value of this Tibetan cultural heritage. Machine printed Thangka loses this cultural connotation and spirit.
"Ancient traditions of fine arts will be destroyed by over-commercialization if we don't stop the excessive industrialization and commercialization of living heritage," said Ma.