China has not yet decided whether to nominate Duanwu Festival
(Dragon Boat Festival) for inclusion in UNESCO's
intangible culture list, but should it do so, the presence on the
list of a similar Korean festival occurring at the same time will
not be an obstacle, Zhou Xiaopu, an official in charge of heritage
applications at the Ministry of Culture said yesterday.
Zhou commented on reports that China's food industry association
had proposed the festival for inclusion in UNESCO's Masterpieces of
the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity list.
Zhou added that her ministry had not received any such formal
application concerning the festival yet.
"The festival has to be included on China's preparatory list
first before it can be recommended to UNESCO as a candidate for the
oral and intangible heritage masterpiece list," she said.
To be included on the preparatory list, the food industry
association will have to submit documents supporting the
application. These will then be examined and approved by a team of
cultural experts, she said.
Falling on the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar
calendar, Duanwu Festival, is usually celebrated with boat races
and the eating of zongzi, pyramid-shaped dumplings made of
glutinous rice and wrapped in bamboo leaves.
South Korea's Gangneung Danoje Festival, occurring at the same
time and rooted in Chinese culture, is celebrated with masked
performances and traditional Korean games.
When the news that the Republic of Korea planned to nominate its
Gangneung Danoje Festival for inclusion in the UNESCO list in 2005,
many Chinese people thought China would lose its "patent" on the
celebration.
The furore eventually disappeared, but the widespread interest
in protecting traditional Chinese festivals remained. The
festival has been the focus of such interest.
Wen Yangyang, deputy secretary-general of the China Food
Industry Association, said the association had tabled a proposal in
2005 to the government urging that more traditional festivals be
added to the state list of intangible cultural heritage.
Duanwu and five other traditional festivals, including Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, were added to the list
last year.
"Last year, more than 10,000 people signed a banner calling for
the festival to be recognized as part of the world's intangible
heritage," Wen said.
The Ministry of Culture is reportedly ready to accept
application documents for the preparatory list.
However, Zou Qishan, a ministry official, said China would not
recommend the festival for inclusion on the UNESCO list this year,
adding that it was still heartening to see such outpouring of
caring about the country's intangible heritage.
UNESCO defines intangible cultural heritage as "the practices,
representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills,
that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize
as part of their cultural heritage."
(China Daily January 17, 2007)
