In order to search more material about Four-tile Dance, we decided to interview staff of Qinghai Cultural Bureau. Mr. Wang Wei-zhang accepted our invitation and showed us his blog, told us national policies of protecting intangible cultural heritage, which made us realize the importance of protecting folk traditional culture.

1、What is intangible cultural heritage?

"Intangible" cultural heritage is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as "the practices, representations, and expressions, as well as the associated knowledge and the necessary skills, that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage."

Intangible cultural heritage can be divided into two parts: first, traditional folk activities, performance, knowledge and skills; second, the places to hold traditional folk activities and performance.

2、 The importance of protecting intangible cultural heritage

"Intangible" cultural heritage is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as "the practices, representations, and expressions, as well as the associated knowledge and the necessary skills, that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage." However, many ancient art forms are on the verge of extinction, as the older generation of artists has passed away and few young people are qualified to take over. Based on scholarly research and advanced methods of audio-visual documentation, preserving the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China's Ethnic Minority Groups" sought to record the lyrics and expressions of ethnic folk songs in three stages: investigation, recording and transcription.

3、How to protect Four-tile Dance?

1）、 Apply for national intangible cultural heritage. 2）、 Pay great attention to train young people who are qualified to take over the folk culture.

Do you know “Chinese Cultural Heritage Day”?

The second Sat of each Jun is “Chinese Cultural Heritage Day”.

Do you know the reason of no world-rank intangible cultural heritage in Qinghai Province?

There are three reasons. Firstly, we are not clear about our folk culture and the stand of applying for world cultural heritage. Secondly, we haven’t realized the importance of applying for cultural heritage. Thirdly, there is no unified management system.

Building of provincial cultural bureau