The Living
Traditions
103 intangible cultural heritage items across 8 domains — from UNESCO-inscribed arts to local folk practices.
103
Total Items
44
UNESCO Inscribed
8
Categories
4
Endangered
Spring Festival
春节
China's most important traditional festival, marking the lunar new year with family reunions, feasts, and vibrant…
Twenty-Four Solar Terms
二十四节气
A traditional Chinese calendar system dividing the year into 24 seasonal segments that guide agriculture, diet, and…
Guqin and Its Music
古琴艺术
An ancient seven-stringed zither beloved by scholars for over 3,000 years, expressing the deepest ideals of Chinese…
Taijiquan (Tai Chi)
太极拳
A graceful martial art blending slow movement, meditation, and philosophy. Practiced worldwide for health and spiritual…
Kunqu Opera
昆曲
One of China's oldest opera forms, known for its exquisite poetry, elegant movements, and profound influence on all…
Nanjing Yunjin Brocade
南京云锦
A luxurious silk brocade woven with gold threads on traditional looms, once reserved for Chinese emperors and court…
Wooden Arch Bridge Construction
木拱廊桥营造技艺
Self-supporting wooden bridges built without nails using interlocking beams — a masterpiece of Chinese structural…
Acupuncture and Moxibustion
针灸
A 2,500-year-old medical practice using fine needles to restore energy balance. Now practiced worldwide for pain relief…
Peking Opera
京剧
China's most celebrated opera form, blending music, dance, acrobatics, and elaborate costumed performance into a…
Chinese Shadow Puppetry
皮影戏
Ancient storytelling art using carved leather puppets and light, combining craftsmanship, music, and oral tradition for…
Tibetan Opera (Ache Lhamo)
藏戏
A sacred Tibetan performing art blending masked dance, Buddhist chanting, and colorful costumes — performed for…
Sichuan Opera
川剧
A spectacular regional opera famous for its lightning-fast face-changing masks, lively humor, and acrobatic…
Nanyin Music
南音
A living fossil of Tang Dynasty court music, preserved in Fujian's Minnan region with ancient instruments and elegant…
Xi'an Wind and Percussion Ensemble
西安鼓乐
A majestic wind and percussion tradition from ancient Xi'an, preserving Tang Dynasty court music with powerful drums…
Hua'er Folk Songs
花儿
High-pitched folk songs from China's northwest mountains, improvised at annual festivals by singers from multiple…
Dragon Dance
舞龙
A spectacular dance where performers bring a giant dragon to life with coordinated movements — a symbol of power,…
Lion Dance
舞狮
An acrobatic dance performance where two dancers become a lion, bringing good luck and warding off evil during…
Yangge Dance
秧歌
A lively northern Chinese folk dance with colorful costumes, fans, and waist drums — originally a rice-planting song…
Chinese Paper-Cut
剪纸
An ancient folk art of cutting intricate designs from paper — window decorations, wedding ornaments, and symbols of…
Shu Embroidery
蜀绣
A 2,000-year-old embroidery style from Sichuan, known for its smooth stitches, vibrant colors, and photo-realistic silk…
Longquan Celadon
龙泉青瓷
Jade-green ceramics from Zhejiang, treasured for over 1,600 years as one of China's most celebrated contributions to…
Cloisonné Enamel
景泰蓝
A brilliant enameling technique from the Ming Dynasty, creating intricate patterns with metal wires and colored glass…
Suzhou Embroidery
苏绣
A refined silk embroidery style known for thread-splitting fineness, subtle colors, and the miraculous double-sided…
Chinese Kite Making
风筝制作
An elegant craft of bamboo and silk — kites that soar as flying works of art, with Weifang as the global kite capital.
Sichuan Bamboo Weaving
竹编
Transforming bamboo into paper-thin strips woven into baskets, screens, and intricate artworks — a harmony of nature…
Chinese Lacquer Art
漆器
Ancient art of tree-sap coating creating glass-hard, lustrous surfaces — used for ritual vessels, screens, and…
Chinese Seal Engraving
篆刻
The art of carving characters into stone seals — a miniature art form combining calligraphy, composition, and sculpture.
Huishan Clay Sculpture
惠山泥人
Playful clay figurines from Wuxi, famous for the smiling "Da Afu" (Big Lucky Boy) — a symbol of joy and good fortune.
Suzhou Pingtan
苏州评弹
A refined Suzhou art of storytelling through song, where a single performer narrates epic tales with pipa accompaniment.
Cross-Talk (Xiangsheng)
相声
China's beloved comedic dialogue tradition — rapid-fire wit, wordplay, mimicry, and social commentary between two…
Sichuan Qingyin
四川清音
A delicate female vocal art from Sichuan, known for its clear, ornamented singing and bamboo percussion accompaniment.
Dragon Boat Racing
赛龙舟
A thrilling water sport where teams race dragon-decorated boats to the beat of drums — now a global phenomenon with…
Chinese Chess (Xiangqi)
象棋
China's ancient strategy board game, played by millions in parks and teahouses — a battle of wits across a…
Baduanjin Qigong
八段锦
Eight gentle, flowing exercises combining movement and breath — China's most popular health practice for vitality and…
Mazu Belief and Customs
妈祖信俗
Worship of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, rooted in Fujian and spreading across the world — a blend of compassion,…
Chinese Tea Ceremony
中国茶艺
The ancient art of preparing and serving tea — a meditative practice embodying harmony, respect, and the appreciation…
Qixi Festival
七夕节
China's romantic festival celebrating the once-a-year reunion of star-crossed lovers, with customs of prayer,…
Lantern Festival
元宵节
A festival of light marking the end of Spring Festival — lantern displays, riddles, sweet rice balls, and dragon dances.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
中药
A sophisticated system of herbal healing with thousands of formulas, rooted in Daoist philosophy and millennia of…
Tuina Massage
推拿
A therapeutic Chinese massage system combining rhythmic compression, meridian theory, and joint manipulation for…
Chinese Wrestling (Shuai Jiao)
中国式摔跤
China's ancient martial art of wrestling, emphasizing speed and technique over brute strength — a military art turned…
Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang
新疆维吾尔木卡姆
A grand musical tradition from Xinjiang blending folk songs, dances, and instrumental music — the cultural soul of the…
Urtiin Duu — Mongolian Long Song
蒙古族长调
A breathtaking Mongolian vocal tradition of sustained notes and elaborate ornamentation — the soulful voice of the…
Chinese Calligraphy
中国书法
The supreme Chinese visual art — writing characters with brush and ink as an expression of the writer's inner spirit…
Chinese Timber-framed Architecture
中国传统木结构营造技艺
Ancient building tradition using interlocking wooden brackets without nails — a seismic-resistant architectural marvel…
Sericulture and Silk Craftsmanship
中国蚕桑丝织技艺
The 5,000-year-old process of cultivating silkworms and weaving silk — a Chinese invention that changed the world…
Farmers' Dance of the Korean Ethnic Group
朝鲜族农乐舞
A jubilant Korean-Chinese dance with spinning hat ribbons, drumming, and singing — originally a harvest ritual, now a…
Gesar Epic Tradition
格萨尔史诗
The world's longest living oral epic — over a million verses recounting the heroic deeds of King Gesar, sung by Tibetan…
Grand Song of the Dong Ethnic Group
侗族大歌
A breathtaking polyphonic choral tradition from Guizhou — the Dong people's multi-part harmonies sung without…
Manas Epic
玛纳斯
The Kyrgyz people's 500,000-verse heroic epic, recounting the legendary exploits of Manas and his descendants over…
Mongolian Khoomei (Throat Singing)
蒙古族呼麦
A mesmerizing overtone singing technique where Mongolian vocalists produce multiple pitches at once, mimicking the…
Regong Arts
热贡艺术
A vibrant school of Tibetan Buddhist art from Qinghai — thangka painting, murals, sculpture, and applique in brilliant…
Xuan Paper Making
宣纸制作技艺
The world's finest calligraphy paper, made by hand through 108 steps over three years — "paper that lasts a thousand…
Yueju Opera (Cantonese Opera)
粤剧
Guangdong's vibrant opera tradition combining martial arts, acrobatics, and Cantonese singing — beloved across southern…
Engraved Block Printing
雕版印刷技艺
The world's oldest printing technology — carved wooden blocks producing the earliest printed books, including the 868…
Meshrep
麦西热甫
A vibrant Uyghur community gathering of music, dance, poetry, and moral education — the living classroom of Xinjiang's…
Watertight-bulkhead Technology of Fujian Ships
水密隔舱福船制造技艺
The revolutionary shipbuilding innovation of watertight compartments that made the Maritime Silk Road and Zheng He's…
Wooden Movable-type Printing
活字印刷术
The 11th-century invention that revolutionized printing — reusable character blocks that accelerated knowledge sharing…
Hezhen Yimakan Storytelling
赫哲族伊玛堪
The endangered oral storytelling tradition of China's Hezhen people — multi-voice narratives of hunting, fishing, and…
Chinese Zhusuan (Abacus)
珠算
The ancient calculation method using an abacus — bead-based arithmetic so fast it can outperform electronic calculators…
Lum Medicinal Bathing (Sowa Rigpa)
藏医药浴法
A Tibetan medicinal bathing therapy using herbal decoctions and hot springs, rooted in 2,000-year-old Sowa Rigpa…
Ong Chun / Wangchuan Ceremony
送王船
A Minnan ritual of sending a decorated boat to sea or fire to dispel plague and misfortune — shared heritage across the…
Traditional Tea Processing Techniques
中国传统制茶技艺
The comprehensive craft of producing China's six tea categories — from green to pu'er — an art of nature, chemistry,…
Qiang New Year Festival
羌年
The Qiang people's most sacred festival — three days of ancestor worship, epic poetry, circle dances, and bonfires in…
Traditional Li Textile Techniques
黎族传统纺染织绣技艺
The Li people's textile tradition on Hainan — cotton cultivation, natural indigo dyeing, waist-loom weaving, and…
Guzheng (Chinese Zither)
古筝
A 21-string plucked zither beloved across China — from ancient court music to modern concert halls.
Erhu (Chinese Two-String Fiddle)
二胡
China's most expressive bowed instrument — a two-stringed fiddle capable of heart-wrenching melodies and virtuosic…
Pipa (Chinese Lute)
琵琶
A pear-shaped lute from the Silk Road — one of China's most virtuosic instruments with techniques that paint musical…
Dizi (Chinese Bamboo Flute)
笛子
China's iconic bamboo flute with its distinctive buzzing membrane — a bright, versatile voice in every Chinese musical…
Ansai Waist Drum Dance
安塞腰鼓
An explosive dance of drumming, leaping, and shouting from the Loess Plateau — the fierce heartbeat of northern Shaanxi.
Dragon Lantern Dance
龙灯舞
A luminous night dance where a glowing dragon weaves through streets, requiring dozens of performers in perfect…
Chinese Kung Fu (Wushu)
武术
China's vast martial arts heritage — hundreds of styles from Shaolin to Wudang, combining combat, philosophy, and…
Cuju (Ancient Chinese Football)
蹴鞠
The earliest form of football, recognized by FIFA — a Chinese military sport turned court entertainment over 2,000…
Chinese New Year Woodblock Prints
年画
Colorful folk woodblock prints pasted on doors at New Year — each region's unique style of auspicious imagery and door…
Dagu (Drum Storytelling)
大鼓书
A narrative art of drum-accompanied storytelling where the performer sings historical tales while punctuating action…
Dongyang Wood Carving
东阳木雕
Zhejiang's masterful wood carving tradition — intricate high-relief scenes of opera, myth, and nature carved into…
Chinese Bone Setting
正骨
A hands-on orthopedic tradition using manipulation, herbal plasters, and splinting — healing bones through touch and…
Traditional Qigong
气功
A mind-body practice combining movement, breath, and meditation — China's comprehensive system for cultivating life…
Chinese Dietary Therapy
食疗
The Chinese art of healing through food — therapeutic soups, congees, and seasonal eating regimens based on millennia…
Thangka Painting
唐卡
Sacred Tibetan Buddhist paintings on cotton and silk, created with mineral pigments and gold to strict iconographic…
Jingdezhen Porcelain
景德镇瓷器
China's porcelain capital for a millennium — the world-renowned center of blue-and-white ceramics and imperial…
Chinese Knotting
中国结
Decorative silk cord knots symbolizing good fortune — a handcraft art where each knot shape carries deep cultural…
Dough Figurine Art
面塑
Colorful figures sculpted from rice dough in minutes — a vanishing temple fair tradition of miniature folk art.
Sugar Painting
糖画
A folk art of pouring hot liquid sugar into edible animal shapes — a sweet treat that doubles as performance art.
Shadow Puppet Carving Craft
皮影雕刻
The meticulous craft of carving leather into articulated shadow puppets — each character is a miniature sculpture…
Mongolian Felt Art
蒙古族毡绣
A grassland craft of sculpting and embroidering sheep's wool felt into rugs, yurt decorations, and symbolic animal…
Dai Peacock Dance
傣族孔雀舞
An elegant Dai ethnic dance imitating peacock movements, performed in elaborate costumes during the Water-Splashing…
Tibetan Guozhuang Dance
藏族锅庄舞
A Tibetan circle dance of linked arms and synchronized steps around bonfires, blending song and movement on the high…
Yi Alili Dance (Axi Tiaoyue)
彝族阿细跳月
A Yi ethnic courtship dance performed under the full moon with springing steps, lively music, and colorful pleated…
Uyghur Sanam Dance
维吾尔族赛乃姆舞
A spirited Uyghur dance of expressive hands, shoulder movements, and quick footwork performed at weddings throughout…
Huangmei Opera
黄梅戏
A gentle, lyrical opera form from Anhui known for romantic stories, simple performance, and the beloved classic "Tian…
Henan Opera (Yuju)
豫剧
China's most widely performed regional opera with powerful vocals, bold storytelling, and the largest audience of any…
Yue Opera
越剧
Zhejiang's graceful opera form known for all-female casts, lyrical singing, and beloved romantic classics like "The…
Qin Opera (Qinqiang)
秦腔
The oldest surviving Chinese opera form from Shaanxi, known for its loud, vigorous style and distinctive bangzi clapper…
Kuaiban (Clapper Talk)
快板
A rapid-fire oral art of rhyming verse accompanied by bamboo clappers — Beijing's temple fair tradition of linguistic…
Tanci (Ballad Singing)
弹词
A Suzhou storytelling art where performers sing narrative verses in dialect while accompanying themselves on pipa and…
Pingshu (Storytelling)
评书
A solo oral storytelling art where a master narrator creates entire worlds using only voice, gesture, a fan, and a…
Sanda (Chinese Kickboxing)
散打
China's full-contact combat sport blending punches, kicks, and throws — the modern fighting application of traditional…
Traditional Chinese Archery
传统弓射艺
An ancient martial art combining archery with Confucian ritual — one of the Six Arts of noble education since the Zhou…
Duanquan (Short Punch Boxing)
短拳
A Hebei martial art of short, explosive strikes and close-range combat — power generated from compact movements and low…
Cupping Therapy
拔罐
An ancient suction therapy using heated cups to increase blood flow, relieve pain, and promote healing — now globally…
Guasha Scraping Therapy
刮痧
A healing technique of scraping the skin to release toxins and improve circulation — a Ming Dynasty folk remedy still…
TCM Four Diagnostic Methods
中医四诊
The four foundational TCM diagnostic pillars — inspection, listening, inquiry, and pulse palpation — codified over…
Explore the Network
Each tradition connects to masters, regions, dynasties, and festivals. Discover the living network of heritage.