Intangible Cultural Heritages in Taiwan

Plan Taiwan culture tour with Intangible Cultural Heritages. We list all of Taiwan National intangible cultural heritages called Human Treasures by UNESCO including Folk Culture, Oral history, Literature, Arts, Song, Music, Dance, Drama, Opera, Skills, Cuisine, Crafts and Festivals.

The government will promote recognition of 10 items by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as intangible cultural heritage, the Council for Cultural Affairs announced Oct. 15.

“We expect the naming of these intangible heritage items to be conducive to the protection of all the living heritage that has contributed to the country’s cultural diversity,” said Wang Show-lai, director of the Headquarters Administration of Cultural Heritage under the CCA.

A committee of academics and government officials drew up the list, the CCA said. Included as having much potential for recognition are the Atayal origin myth, Bunun polyharmonic choral singing, Beiguan music, glove puppet shows, Taiwanese opera, pasted-paper sculpture, the Amis harvest festival, the Saisiyat ceremony in honor of a people who preceded them, and the worship of Wang Ye and Ma Zu.

“The committee started preparation of the list in March, in the spirit of the UN Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage,” Wang said. The convention took effect in April 2006.

According to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, cultural heritage is not limited to material manifestations, but encompasses living expressions and traditions that communities worldwide have passed down from generation to generation.

Taiwan has been seeking protection of both its tangible and intangible cultural and natural legacies, working toward their inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list. A total of 18 locations have been identified as potential world heritage sites, the CCA stated.