Report exposes China's utilitarian intangible heritage protection

China's intangible cultural heritage (ICH) protection drive has been accused of focusing on being official recognized while making weak efforts in actual protection, according to a report Wednesday.

The Annual Development Report on Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding 2012 said, "Protective methods of ICH in many regions have been found lagging behind reality and were carried out under a utilitarian and commercialized system."

In China, intangible heritage elements that are officially recognized -- notably by the UNESCO heritage lists -- usually bring tourism potential for local regions, financial support for government offices and is positive for related officials' work records.

The report, released by the Social Sciences Academic Press, was written by the ICH research center of the Sun Yat-sen University in southern Guangdong Province, a key institute recognized by the Ministry of Education.

Other problems highlighted in Wednesday's report included muddled categorization and incorrect data in the state-level heritage lists as well as unspecific future protection plans.

The report noted increasingly problematic situations for the existence of traditional drama, dancing and other art forms originated in far-off and underdeveloped regions.

In October, the Ministry of Culture announced that six institutions had been removed from China's list of state ICH protectors for failing to exercise their duties, with another two warned and required to correct their work.

It was the first time the ministry had disqualified institutions from the scheme since the country first introduced the state ICH list in 2006.

China joined UNESCO's ICH safeguard convention in 2004, pledging to pay greater attention to the preservation of its ICH.

In 2011, the country adopted its first law in the protection of ICH.

Minister of Culture Cai Wu said in October that China had the largest number of ICH items on the UNESCO representative list of ICH of Humanity and the list of ICH in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.