Suo Wenqing, member of CAPDTC, professor of Central University for Nationalities:"To Rescue, Inherit and Develop the Intangible Cultural Heritages of Tibet"

Since the 1990s, world-wide attentions have been greatly paid to the issue of interaction between globalization and cultural diversity. However, heated debates were aroused in the globe on how to maintain the diversity of cultures of the world, protect and inherit the traditional cultures and cultural heritages of each nation.

With the accelerating of modernization and the impact from economic globalization in the wake of reform and opening up, Chinese governments all levels and the general public have come to a sober awareness of the significance of protecting Chinese traditional cultures, and keep a close alert on the serious situation confronting the protection of cultural heritages.  The serious situations are reflected in the following points first, a lot of ethnic or folk craftworks are on the edge of lost and extinction; second, a great number of villages, sites, and relics with historic, cultural and scientific values are constantly ruined and sabotaged; third, the folk artists and artisans lack the inheritors. Some orally-taught intangible cultures with unique techniques will soon extinct with the pass away of its owners; forth, some traditional cultural resources with ethnic features, rare handicrafts and techniques have been illegally brought to abroad in a large scale due to the imperfect illegal system.

All these problems have emerged on the background of the rapid social transformation in China, as it happened in some developed countries in the similar stages before. As an organization of protecting and taking care cultures of the world, the UNESCO formulated the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage as early as in the 1970s, based on its review on the tendencies and laws of development in various countries, advocating for protecting historic relics, sites, tangible cultural heritages and natural landscapes. After the 1990s, the organization put forward to protecting the intangible cultural heritages and passed the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. On Nov. 17, 2003, the 32nd session of UNESCO General Conference passed the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which explicitly defines the intangible cultural heritages as those in five domains (1) oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage; (2) performing arts, including music, dance, drama, Quyi, and est.; (3) social practices, rituals and festive events; (4) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; (5) traditional craftsmanship.

From the definition in the above-mentioned five domains, we can see that the intangible cultural heritages differed from those tangible ones, compose of various ethnic traditions and folk knowledge, and serve as a kind of living cultural wealth closely related to the human beings. They are the carrier of the ways of living, wisdom, sentiment and consciousness of each nation or ethnic group in the world. The definition made in the convention makes us clearly understand the contents and features of the intangible cultural heritages. Safeguarding the intangible cultural heritages is as important as protecting the tangible ones, and is of far-reaching significance and arduousness.

Protection of cultural heritage in China has all along been an important part of cultural affairs of the Chinese government.  The Report to the 16th National Congress of the CPC addressed to cast our sight on the forefront of cultural development in the world, and draw the advantage from all nations and to support the protection of the key cultural heritages and outstanding folk arts. At the beginning of 2003, the Chinese government initiated the project of protecting the ethnic and folk arts of China.

On August 28, 2004, at its 11th Meeting, the 10th Standing Committee of the NPC adopted the Approval of The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritages” of the UNESCO, making China an earlier member country of the convention-related organization.

In March, 2005, the General Office of the State Council issued the Views on Strengthening Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritages of China, which made the goals of the future work to gradually establish a well-furnished protection system for intangible cultural heritages with Chinese characteristics, making China's precious and endogenous intangible cultural heritages of historic, cultural and scientific values be effectively protected, transmitted and disseminated.

According to this documents issued by the State Council, the work for applying and approving for the list of the first group of state-protected intangible cultural heritages has soon began. Finally, a list of 501 projects, which had been chosen from a shortlist of 1315 projects, was announced to the public on Dec. 31, 2005. In this list, 165 projects are from ethnic minorities, accounting for 33%, among which, 21 from Tibetan inhabited areas (14 from the TAR). Namely they are The Legend of King Gesar, Tibetan opera, Shinze dance, Gorchom dance, Repa dance, Cho dance of Lhokha, Chamdo of Tashilhungpo Monastery in Shigatze; the making techniques for Tibetan Thangka, Tibetan kite, Tibetan paper, Tibetan apron and Tibetan rug; the Tsampa making techniques of Gya Water Powered Mill, the mercury processing method of Lhasa Northern Medical School, and the Formula preparing techniques for the Tibetan medicine Rinchen Drangjor. The above-listed 14 projects can be divided into six categories, namely the literature, dance, drama, fine arts, craftsmanship and traditional medicine. Given the limited time, some other projects, such as Nangma music and court music Khar and Shoton Festival, had not been sufficiently prepared for application.

Tibet is one of the areas rich in a large number of the intangible heritages. People who have been there all are fascinated by the magic glamour of the abundant cultural heritages with unique Tibetan features. Guided and supported by the Central Committee of the CPC and Chinese government, the TAR government and the general public have a deep understanding and awareness of the important responsibility of the protection of the cultural heritages. As early as at the beginning of the reform and opening up, six areas in the Tibet Autonomous Region and Lhasa set up in succession teams for rescuing ethnic cultural heritages. Special money was appropriated. Teams were organized. A general survey with a large scale was systematically taken in the TAR. A great number of orally-passed literatures, stories, poems, ballads and various performing arts were collected, sorted, researched and published. Thanks to the effort made in 20 years, the intangible cultural heritages in Tibet were comprehensively rescued and effectively protected.' By the end of 2000, folk artists and artisans alone in Tibet had received more than 10,000 interviews. Over 600 discs of audiovisual materials were collected, as well as over 10,000 pieces of music, songs and ballads and recording materials for more than 10 million characters. The research monograph on ethnic and folk cultures were published, such as History of Chinese Dramas-Tibet Volume, Collection of Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dance-Tibet Volume, History of Chinese Folk Arts-Tibet Volume, Collection of Chinese Quyi-Tibet Volume, Collection of Chinese Music Instrument-Tibet Volume, Collection of Chinese Ballads and Music-Tibet Volume, Collection of Chinese Folk Songs-Tibet Volume. If put the seven anthologies together, there are almost five million characters in total. It is unprecedented in the history of Tibet that in such short time, such abundant historical materials on the intangible folk cultural heritages were published and edited. Embraced by the new motherland, concerned and supported by the government of the people, outstanding traditional cultural heritages of the Tibetan could be strongly protected and promoted.

With the purpose that outstanding traditional culture in Tibet can be passed down, work on cultivating talented people skilled at various cultural arts was strengthened, together with rescuing and protecting cultural heritages. Schools of arts in Tibet and all kinds of majors were set up, from which over 500 talented people receiving secondary and higher education were cultivated. Besides, key persons in art potentiality to be cultivated were constantly sent to the art schools for further study in mainland so that more top-talented people skilled at their majors could be cultured. Due to comprehensive cultivation of the talents, there is a population of more than 4,000 artists skilled at various arts in the TAR, over 90% of whom were Tibetans, working as a vital new force for protecting and inheriting ethnic and folk arts in Tibet.

Apart from talented people, appropriate institutions should be also established and expanded. Since the reforming and opening up, a lot of urban and rural areas in Tibet set up amateur art performing teams and Tibetan opera performing teams. There are now 17 folk art groups, over 500 amateur groups, and more than 160 groups for Tibetan opera performance. These performing groups work actively in the agricultural and pastoral areas throughout the year, giving irregular performances, and winning great popularity with people there. A number of shows won prize in the national joint performance and the whole autonomous region. Many splendid traditional theatres and dramas passed down from the history were reserved, transmitted and disseminated from the art activities that the public loved and performed for self-amusement.

Governments at all levels in Tibet attach great importance to the representative traditional festivals as well, because it is an indispensable part of the intangible cultural heritages. Whenever traditional festivals in Tibet come, Tibetan opera, songs and dances are performed.

At present, Yalung Cultural and Art Festival in Lhokha, Khamba Art Festival in Chamdo, Charchen Horse Racing Festival in Nagchu, Shoton Festival in Lhasa, Shangshung Culture Festival in Ngari, Darmar Festival in Gyangze and so on, held once a year, have become the well-known festivals in Tibet. Not only have the original contents been reserved, but several modem tastes have been added to in order to meet the need of the young and the market. Some towns and villages with traditional arts and techniques were also named by the State and Tibet Autonomous Region home to Chinese folk arts and distinguished arts. For example, Nyemo County of Lhasa is famous for producing traditional handicrafts, such as Tibetan paper, Tibetan incense, ceramics, and carved block and has become a will-known base for folk and ethnic handicrafts in Tibet. The Tibetan opera and folk dance in Lhodrag and Gonkar Counties of Lhoka Prefecture; the Repa dance in Driru County of Nagchu Prefecture, the making techniques of Tibetan tug in Gyantse County are also best known and unique in Tibet. These folk arts and craftsmanship with distinguished ethnic and local features, after being put under protection by the States and the autonomous region, have been well protected, inherited and developed.

Tibet has stepped up its engagement in salvaging and conserving intangible cultural heritages across the whole region these' two years. News on Strengthening Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritages of Tibet was also drafted up last year in line with the guiding policy of the Central Government that put protection on the primary footing, gave priority to rescue, asked for sensible exploitation, and called for inherit age and development. This view, which started by surveying in a detailed manner the repertoire of the intangible cultural heritages in the region before their registration and setting up a comprehensive record and databank, compiled an exhaustive name list of representative heritage works, and activated the level-based protection initiative affecting a full range of the intangible cultural heritages and some protection centers. Included in the first part of the intangible cultural heritage registration list are Tibet opera, Tibet paper, Tibetan Thangka, traditional Tibetan medicine and herbage, calendars and time-calculation, Tibetan rug weaving, est., all of which are the jewels of Tibetan culture with a long history, passing from generation to generation the Tibetan civilization and wisdom across the span of thousands of years. The investigation and registration taken by relevant authorities of these cultural heritages found a serious trend that ancient craftsmanship could not be inherited, because the artisans in advanced years either had no apprentices, or their posterity was not content, or willing to follow their senior's footsteps. This phenomenon that arts will extinct with the pass away of the artists and artisans directly threatens the conservation and succession of cultural heritages. Therefore, the government intervened through affording material and financial support, and helping select the suitable people, cultivating in a planned way inheritors ,whose lives were guaranteed , so that some techniques with unique features won' extinguish with the masters. The survey also discovered that the market demand for such traditional handicrafts as Tibetan paper and potteries were shrinking at an increasing pace with the development of modern industrialization, posing a threat to the live hood of the artists and artisans, deflating their enthusiasm, and putting their techniques on the verge of almost extinction. The authorities concerned after learning the situation, helped conduct market investigation, renew the products and widen the sale, integrating the development of commercial products and heritage protection. After more than a decade of diligent probing, a dozen of new types of the Tibetan paper as hide paper, colored silk paper, and brocade paper having been developed to meet the need of the market. Murals, umbrellas, lanterns, greeting cards, and calendars made according to the distinct attributes of various types of the paper are the favorite handicrafts among the consumers.

Experience of protecting and developing Tibetan paper proved that there are many ways to safeguard and rescue the traditional cultural heritages, rather than only relying on the government funds. Combination of market exploration with and heritage protection can be recommended.

The protection and inherit age of the intangible cultural heritages is a new issue faced by all countries, regions and nations in the world. China has not been much experienced in this aspect. Therefore, we should work for developing a way which is appropriate with Chinese characteristic and can be effectively followed. The experience of Tibet has let us to conclude that we should make the whole society come to the awareness of protecting cultural heritages, put all heritages under social recognition, so as to have all types of heritages to be identified, respected and promoted; and intensity the publicity so as to let more people understand its significance. Meanwhile, we should strengthen legislation and improve organization structures and codes, so as to conduct the protection in a scientific, regular and legal manner.

Though protection of ethnic cultural heritages is the unshirkable duty of the governments of all levels, it is far from being enough to only depend on the government. The whole society should be mobilized and brought into extensive participation, especially providing support in terms of materials, funds and technologies. Therefore, there is a need to encourage conscientious private sector entrepreneurs and individuals to set up special funds for protecting cultural heritages so as to support this work.

Tibet is quite rich in humane and ecologic tourist resources. The operation of the Qinghai -Tibetan Railway brings a great number of visitors at home and abroad into Tibet, providing a new opportunity for the great development of tourist industry. Under such circumstances, we should not only strengthen the protection of cultural heritages, but also figure out ways to make use and explore the resources of the intangible cultural heritages, so as to contribute to the economic development of Tibet. Some influential traditional festivals, traditional performing arts with ethnic features, such as Tibetan opera, sings and dances, can all be rearranged as tourism-oriented projects so that these intangible cultural heritages can be protected and promoted in the process of development.

Tibet is a pure and fascinating place and a never exhausting treasure mind. We are confident that the tangible and intangible cultural heritages abundant in Tibet will be better protected and inherited in our generation and be more brightly shining.

Suo Wenqing, member of CAPDTC, professor of Central University for Nationalities

Oct.10,2006