LiketangibleculturalheritagessuchastheGreatWallandtheForbiddenCity,intangibleculturalheritageslikePekingOperaandConfucius-commemoratingritualsareequallycrucial.Weshouldmakeourutmosteffortstopreserveintangibleheritagesbecause,withouttheirphysicalformofexistence,theyareingreaterriskofextinction.
AccordingtoUNESCO’sConventionfortheSafeguardingofIntangibleCulturalHeritage(2003),allformsofsocialcustomsandhabits,folklore,performingarts,rituals,oraltraditions,festivals,traditionalcraftsandvariousknowledgeandpracticesaboutnatureanduniversecanbeclassifiedasintangibleculturalheritages.Asacountryconsistingofagreatdiversityofethnicgroupsandwithtime-honoredhistoryandcivilization,Chinaaboundsinintangibleculturalheritages.Culturalheritagesconnectmodernpeoplewiththehistoricalpast,allowingthemtoacquireaculturalandhistoricalidentity.Withoutculturalheritages,wewouldberenderedabsolutelyrootlessandwewouldfindithardtocopewithchallengesatpresentandinthefuture.
However,themodernizationprocessposesmountingthreatstointangibleheritages.Manypeoplehaveablindfaithinthelatestelectronicdevices.Itisalsopathetictoseeelderlypeopleinpossessionofsuchlegaciespassawaywithouttransmittingthemtotheyoungergeneration.Facedwiththosechallenges,weshouldbothpreserveandrenovateourancestralheritagessothatwecanhelpcontributetotheculturaldiversityoftheworldandreturntoourspiritualhomelandinthisageofimpersonalscienceandtechnology.
