China announces artists for intangible cultural heritage projects

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced a list of 1,082 artists with the official responsibility of carrying forward the country's intangible cultural heritage.

Artists working in acupuncture, traditional Mongolian clothing, pottery, kites, Thangka, fruit pit carving, Dai ethnic brocades and ethnic musical instruments were on the list.

The list went through a vetting process including recommendations by local cultural departments, assessments by experts, public review and deliberation by judges.

This is the fifth batch of state-level intangible heritage items published by the State Council. A total of 1,372 items including the Spring Festival, Peking Opera, the Legend of Madame White Snake and Shaolin Kungfu have been published in the previous four batches.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said it would work with provincial cultural departments to enhance their support for artisans to promote intangible cultural heritage.