4 Chinese elements make UNESCO list

By Lydia Chen  |   2008-11-5  |     ONLINE EDITION

FOUR Chinese elements were listed among the 90 representative intangible cultural heritages of humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization yesterday, which may help raise public awareness of the importance of these living treasures.

The four elements include 600-year-old Kunqu opera, the Guqin and its music, the Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang, and Urtiin Duu, traditional folk songs from both China and Mongolia, according to the organization’s Website.

All 90 cultural elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity were recognized as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the organization in 2001, 2003 or 2005, the organization said.

The list covers 26 elements from Asia Pacific, 20 from Europe, 19 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 18 from Africa and seven in the Arab region. Nine are shared by two or more countries.

The organization will renew the list every year and so far it has already received 111 applications from 35 countries for future inscriptions, according to its Website.

Kunqu Opera, listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It dominated theaters in China from the 16th to the 18th centuries and is regarded as the "mother" of a hundred operas, including Peking Opera, because of its influence on theater forms.

Kunqu is still performed professionally in seven mainland cities, including Shanghai’s Kunqu Theater on Shaoxin Road in Luwan District.

The Chinese zither, called guqin, has existed for more than 3,000 years and represents China’s foremost solo musical instrument tradition. It was one of the four arts – along with calligraphy, painting and an ancient form of chess – that Chinese scholars were expected to master.