China highly regards protection of Tibetan traditional culture

China has achieved significant achievements in protection and expansion of Tibet's magnificent traditional ethnic culture, especially in terms of the successful protection, transmitting and development of intangible cultural heritage.

"I'm glad to see great attentions were attached to protect traditional ethnic culture," said 73-year-old Tseten Dorje, one of the cultural representatives of Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

Achievements should not only owe to endeavor of the central and local governments, but the contribution of folk artists, who are a force to be reckoned with for protecting and carrying forward the culture.

In Tibet, there are 31 folk artists nominated as intangible cultural heritage representatives at state level and 134 at regional level.

The luxuriant Tibetan culture was nourished for generations by local Tibetans and is a key part of the profound Chinese traditional culture. A majority of them is descended in an oral way by folk artists or locals. With years passing by, the death of folk artists is likely to end such a culture.

For fear of losing the precious cultural heritage, Tibet has set up a special leading group to preserve, protect as well as save the region's folk art with support from the central government. The body launched an all-round way cultural census in Tibet, collecting dozens of precious materials of music, dancing, singing, adage, drama, and so on, that kept in folk and then published lots of classics, theses, monographs based on the materials after carefully compiled and arranged.

"I'm delighted as the youth is able to carry forward the art of Tibetan opera," said Tseten Dorje.

According to Nyima Tsering, head of Tibet local culture bureau, the Tibetan opera has been inscribed into the United Nation Human Intangible Cultural Heritage.

As one of the great heroes in Tibetan history, the life of King Gesar has been widely publicized orally among Tibetans for generations, turning the epic of King Gesar into the longest as well as the only living epic in the world.

In 1979, a special body was established for arranging, saving, recording and publishing of the Epic of King Gesar.

More than 20 volumes in Han language has by far been published, and some were translated into foreign languages, like Japanese, English and French.

According to incomplete statistics, by visiting some 10,000 folk artists, a data stock with more than 10,000 photos, 100 video materials, 500 tapes, 10,000 songs, 10-million-word document, was came into existence, and more than 1,000 academic papers and 30 monographs on traditional Tibetan culture, were published, with 20-year unremitting work of the group.

Protection of intangible cultural heritages gained fully regarded after entering the 21st century.

In 2002, 19 Tibetan counties were nominated as "village of folk art" and 2 villages were nominated as "village with featured art". Meanwhile, the Tibetan opera in Jiongba of Tibet was included in the first batch of pilot unit for protecting Chinese folk art and culture. In 2005, the leading group for protecting of Tibetan intangible cultural heritage was set up.

Tibetan culture has swept intangible cultural heritage list in China. In May 2006, the state council issued the 1st list of China's intangible cultural heritages, Tibetan opera, Thangka painting, King Gesar, Shoton Festival etc. totalling 25 items were embodied. In June 2008, the second list was released with 28 items from Tibet.