Ages of tradition, traced and treasured

"It's essential to establish a database for their inheritors to better preserve these living legacies," she said.

A main challenge faced by ICH is the aging of inheritors, so recording inheritors who are over 70 is a priority.

"I need to take responsibility for passing my skills down to next generations without any reservation," said Zhang Xiaodong, 76, a national-level inheritor of traditional kite-making techniques from Weifang, Shandong province.

Starting when he was 8, the man has dedicated his lifetime to this signature craftsmanship of Weifang. He has had over 200 disciples, and more than 7,000 people have attended his training sessions.

"The recording is a key way to benefit even more people and bring prosperity to this tradition," Zhang said.

The national recording project has involved over 4,000 staff from over 300 ICH research centers and libraries across the country. Altogether, they have collected over 75,000-hour-long video clips and 148 million Chinese characters in written documentations of oral history. More than 9,000 people were interviewed for this project. A 30-minute documentary will be made for every ICH inheritor.