The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at its 20th regular session decided on Dec. 11 to transfer China's "Hezhen Yimakan storytelling" from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
At the same time, based on the effectiveness of the protection of this heritage project, the committee decided to include the safeguarding program for Hezhen Yimakan storytelling in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.
Hezhen Yimakan storytelling is an age-old oral tradition passed down through generations of the Hezhe ethnic group in Heilongjiang Province. Narrated in the Hezhe language and performed in a mixed prose-and-verse style, it conveys the group's history, heroic tales, fishing and hunting practices, rituals, and moral norms. Serving functions such as documenting history, educating younger generations and providing community entertainment, the tradition has retained its vitality over centuries.
