Tibet to aid veteran cultural heritage inheritors

Tibetan opera performances,one of the well known Tibet intangible heritages
 

Tibet passed regulations to provide subsidies to the senior local inheritors who have lost their abilities in cultural inheritance, legaldaily.com.cn reported.
 
The ninth session of the Standing Committee of the Tibet People’s Congress passed the regulations to carry out the law of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the People's Republic of China(ICHPRC) in Tibet on April 1, which emphasized humanistic care to the the unable successors. It will be officially enforced on June 1.
 
The improvement to the draft on retaining the treatment to the unable inheritors was proposed by Meng Xiaolin, vice minister of the regional publicity department, and Ren Shuzhen,deputy director-general of the Department of Culture of Tibet.
 
"It always takes the lifetime for many old folk artists to inherit the intangible cultural heritage. But when they get old it's hard for them to sustain their livelihood without other allowances or financial assistance",said Ren.
 
But the Law of ICHPRC stipulates that the government will no longer provide subsidy to the senior inheritors,Ren added.
 
Therefore, she specially consulted the Ministry of Culture and was informed that the annual fund of 10,000 yuan to the successor provided by the government was earmarked for inheritors to inherit the intangible cultural heritage instead of providing living allowances to them. And it is unfair to the new successors.
 
"However, it can be flexible for the Tibet local government to provide some aid to the senior inheritors taking into account of the special situation of the inheritors', said Ren.
 
Ren won popular support by the committee members. Finally,the revised regulation stipulated that senior inheritors will be rewarded as honorary inheritors and the subsistence allowances from the local government.
 
The ICHPRC released in 2011 has promoted the protection and inheritance of the intangible cultural heritage, preserved and developed the traditional culture in Tibet,said Rong Shaohua,official of the Standing Committee of the Regional People’s Congress in Tibet.
 
They still confront various challenges along with the globalization and modernization. A number of historical, artistic and scientific treasures have been lost while some traditional skills are on the verge of extinction.
 
Thus it is essential to make local laws and regulations to enhance protection and inheritance of the intangible cultural heritage and develop the traditional culture.
 
It is reported that the draft made up by the Culture Department of Tibet was established on Apr.8,2013 based on extensive and in-depth surveys across the region and other provinces, and through various consultations from experts,inheritors and the grassroots personnel.
 
The white paper of the Development and Progress of Tibet issued by the Information Office of the State Council, China's cabinet on Oct.22,2013 shows that Tibet has nearly 800 intangible cultural heritage items, over 80 performance troupes of traditional dramas and 1,177 inheritors of such intangible cultural heritage. Tibetan opera and the epic of Gesar have been included in UNESCO's list of the Intangible Heritages of Humanity. Tibetan Thangka, Tibetan papermaking technique and 73 other cultural items have been included in China's Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage, and 68 inheritors of such cultural items have been affirmed as representative inheritors of China's Intangible Heritage projects; 323 projects and 227 inheritors have been put on the Tibet Regional List of Intangible Heritage; and 158 books have been put on the State List of Valuable Ancient Books.