China releases first batch of national-level traditional handicrafts

2018-05-25

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released on Thursday a catalogue of the first batch of national-level traditional handicrafts that will receive support from the central government.

A total of 383 handicrafts under 14 categories are listed in the catalogue, including silk dyeing and embroidery, traditional furniture and paper-cutting.

The catalogue was drawn up as part of the China Traditional Handcraft Revitalization Plan issued in 2017.

The plan aims to strengthen protection of China's intangible cultural heritage and promote advancement of traditional handicrafts by enhancing product quality and furthering their integration into people's daily lives.

The core principle is to allow traditional products with rich cultural values become competitive in the modern market.

The first batch of handicrafts were chosen based of the national intangible cultural heritage representative project catalogue and practical factors such as the scale of production, development prospects, the size of inheritor groups and influence to ensure the project will have the maximum economic, social and cultural impact.

Global Times