Opera beats kung fu for UNESCO bid
Posted at Apr 28, 05 in Shaolin Temple News

A form of opera originating in Xinjiang defeated Shaolin kung fu to become China's sole nomination for UNESCO's intangible heritage list, the Ministry of Culture announced.

Adherents of the ancient martial art from the famed Shaolin Temple in Henan Province had conducted a high-profile campaign for its nomination but authorities settled on the mukamu opera form.

UNESCO is expected to announce its results in November.

Two items from China are currently included on the 47-item UNESCO list established four years ago: a six-century-old Jiangsu Province opera form, kunqu, and a seven-stringed instrument more than 3,000 years old, the guqin.

Vice minister of culture Zhou Heping said Shaolin kung fu missed out because each country could only put forward one nomination.

"This quota is a real problem for us, as China is a country with rich intangible heritage," he said. "We would like to bring this to the attention of UNESCO and discuss it." Zhou said Beijing had started compiling its own list of intangible heritage treasures in an effort to protect endangered folk cultures.

Academics hailed the move, saying intangible heritage like operas always received less attention from the public than tangible treasures such as buildings.

"The very fact that they are intangible means they can be ignored easily. This is why the public apathy has come out," said Li Yaozong, from the Central University of Nationalities in Beijing.

Since the 1980s, Professor Li has been contributing to an encyclopedia of Chinese folk cultures, which is being compiled by three State departments. The book will be published next year.