Intangible Cultural Heritage - A new prospect for preservation of cultures in China?

Intangible Cultural Heritage is a new word in China. With it, it brought about a lot of awareness among the Chinese. We can understand it by saying such cultures are usually formless, and do not have a stationary position like buildings and relics. Rather, such cultures usually exists amidst the crowds in the forms of folklore, craftmanship, beliefs, practices, dances and performances.

China has deemed a couple of such practices into Intangible Cultural Heritage areas: beijing opera and Kun-qu, folk arts like those of bamboo carvings from Jiaoding, drum performances from Shaanxi, tea drinking practices and many more. It become a much awared activity when one visits perhaps a Beijing Opera and go woo ah and say "LOOK! This is China's Intangible Cultural Heritage!" Yes, more people have become aware of such. The Chinese are proud of what they have, took pride in it, start to respect, and many become more prone to protect such treasures.

What I like to point out is that are such treasures more important, or the name Intangible Cultural Heritage that made them important? What if let say traditional paper cutting is not protected at all, will people be so much concerned in preserving this form of fork art running in the society? Will people just say, "eh no point, will not earn money, nobody wish to upkeep such traditions, let's do something that will earn more money..".. Such thoughts make me wonder which is more important, the branding or really the tradition.

Of course, for those old practioners and loyalists to any specific form of art, they are at their tip top happiness. The grandma who goes to her weekly Beijing Opera chuckles happily to herself, knowing that what she enjoy will never disappear. Sweet way to gain awareness, she says.

Bai Han Lou - Tibetan-Catholic Community in Isolation

In Baihanlou, an isolated village in the Nu River Valley, located in the northwest corner of Yunnan Province, lies an isolated Tibetan-Catholic community and their long, lasting blend og religions. It is interesting to note that how this Tibetan-Catholic community has survive for so long unmolested. One could only wonder if this was a miracle worked by means unknown.

During the 1800s, French missionaries came and converted a small part of the pop in Tibet to Christianity. Baihanlou is a beautiful mountain village nestled in the foothills of the Tibetan plateau. At night, one can hear the river faintly in the distance. In this part of the world, nature and people seem uninterrupted.

Entering the centre of the village, a 130-year-old Catholic Church stood stark white from the back and sides, but the front is Chinese Pagoda style with a wooden winged tips on either side of the building darkly painted in blues and fadings reds. The Entire Village is involved in the church from birth till death - when they are not farming for their livelihood, they are praying in unison. When they are not praying, they are farming.

Entering the humble church, bare wood beams make up the basic structure of the interior. Three exposed light bulbs provides all the light needed. On the left hand side of the church are pictures of Jesus carrying his cross with Roman soldiers whipping him, to the right there are three large windows facing west. Each pillar of wood extends from the floor to the ceiling and has various carvings, some inscriptions read, "We will follow you Jesus." At the front of the church is a small and humble altar, decorated with artificial flowers in bright reds and pinks, beside it is a life-size marble statute of Virgin Mary.

Attending mass, one can notice directly how devoted the villagers are. Prayers continue almost uninterrupted, as if a perfect routine is already in place. The minister doesn't speak to or direct his flock in any way. Their prayers are in their bones, from the small children to the weather-beaten faces of the elderly, the community moves and prays together as one. They do not participate in the Vatican's strict Catholicism, but rather their own religion that part of the this community's traditions that has been passed on for generations - it is their way of life.

The villagers called themselves Catholic, but as they sit and kneel in prayer, there is nothing typically Catholic about them. The chanting, or praying, is deeply moving and incredibly unique and is combined with a small head bobbing. Every once in a while there is prostration where everyone kneels and touches their head to the ground. There are hints of Buddhism, Islam and Catholicism all wrapped up into one single mass.

And then suddenly, it all stopped.

In an orderly manner, everyone rises from the low wooden benches and exits the church. No words have been exchanged, the community seems to live in silence after they are through chanting their prayers.

A small, poor Tibetan community chanting Catholic prayers before and after a long day of farming. How had Catholicism lasted so long in such an isolated environment? But that was just it, isolation is the answer.


reading materials:
China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society
Religion and Biography in China and Tibet

Follow up of Ghandi's Last Letter

In regard to Christie's selling of Ghandi's last letters in London, India said they were not the real last manuscript written by Ghandi. However, the document selling is authentic and India hopes Christie's will donate and give it back to India. India said they will have the ability to preserve and keep the document much better than private collectors.

Well, after all the excitement I had for India, it just turn up to be all a fuss. Maybe it's the real thing, they just want to keep the price down and prevent private collector from escalating the price too much. =.=

related post : Christie's Auction of Ghandi's Last Letter

Christie's Auction of Ghandi's Last Letter

Christie's, the major Global auction house and competitor of Sotheby's, is facing media attention when involving selling national identity's of India. The India government is trying their best to acquire the last letter written by Ghandi before his assassination from Christie's. It is said that the priceless document will be going under the hammer for a fixed reserved price of 9000 - 12000 pounds.

However, with all the publicity going on, and the intrusion of the Indian Government, it is speculated that the price of the letter might well be doubled.


In the letter written for the Harijan, 19 days before Gandhi was assassinated, he pleads for tolerance towards Muslims.

You can also say that the letter was an immediate effect that could have cause to Ghandi's death.

In 1998 when Sotheby's auctioned 18 letters of Gandhi, NRIs came forward to buy them for the sake of the country. But so far such a move has not happened yet.

Whether a not India will succeed in retrieving back the manuscript remains to be known. However, one thing to be make note. How did the manuscript got into the market in the first place? It is inevitable that India must try all means to get the letter back into their information and cultural division. As such things depicts a national identity, losing a chance to retrieve only meant as succumbing and showing signs of weakness as a country.

We all pray India get those letters back soon! God bless.