Peking Opera Joins Exalted Company

Peking Opera, along with acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine, have been listed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The decision was made at the fifth meeting of the Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nairobi on Oct 16.

Ma Wenhui, division chief of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, says the listing means international recognition of unique Chinese cultural forms.

"It will encourage China to better preserve and promote local cultures and contribute to the diversity of world cultures," Ma says.

Qian Rong, an official with Beijing Cultural Bureau who prepared the application for the UNESCO listing for Peking opera, believes "the honor will help raise awareness of Peking opera, a unique art genre, both in and outside China".

Arguably the most influential and representative genre of traditional Chinese performing arts among more than 300 local operas, Peking opera "synthesizes and harmonizes dance, song, theater, mime, martial arts and poetry and reflects the shared cultural identities of Chinese people".

Since its birth at the royal court in the mid-19th century, Peking opera has evolved into a de facto national opera, enjoyed by people from all social strata, Qian says.

Peking opera shows are available in most North China provinces and the art form has a huge fan base not only in the cities but also in rural areas, she says, adding that Peking opera "is no longer at risk but spreading among more people".

In Beijing alone, the annual theater attendance for Peking opera shows surpasses a million.

Among the fans and amateur performers are adults and middle school and university students.

With a wealth of more than 3,000 well-crafted works in its repertoire, Peking opera consists of "highly stylized, strongly rhythmical movements, concise and precise composition, fictitious plots, and interesting and engaging characters", explains Zhu Jia, a publicist with the Beijing Municipal Peking Opera Troupe, a leading performing group in the genre.

However, some experts say the addition of Peking opera to the UNESCO list will not produce support for China's many local operas to survive and thrive.

"More effective measures should be taken to ensure no more local operas die out in the new century," points out Liu Zhen, director of the Research Institute of Local Operas in China, under the China Academy of the Arts.

Liu admits he has witnessed the demise of numerous troupes of other local operas over the past two decades, due to lack of funding and support from government and the public.

In Liu's view, apart from Kunqu and Peking operas which are both on the UNESCO list, all other local operas are equally important intangible cultural heritages and need due attention and care.

Liu is deeply concerned that the ongoing reforms at provincial level may quicken the demise of certain local operas, as many local governments are urging local opera artists and their troupes to go to the market and support themselves.

"The government should take the major responsibility of rescuing and supporting local operas not the local opera artists themselves," Liu says.

He says it is an unwise decision to seek total commercialization and marketization of local opera troupes.

Three other Chinese cultural elements - meshrep (the Uygur folk performance), the watertight bulkhead technology of Chinese junks, and printing with wooden movable type, were inscribed on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The fourth form added to the list was the ojkanje throat singing tradition of Croatia.

The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding is a list of cultural forms whose viability is at risk despite the efforts of the communities and groups that practice them.