He Shengke, a member of the 11th Tibetan People's Political Consultative Conference (TPPCC) Regional Committee, delivers a speech at the second TPPCC plenary meeting on January 26, 2018. [Photo/Tenzin Woebom]

The Chinese government's efforts to preserve intangible heritage in Tibet have proven effective, especially in Shigatse, said He Shengke, a member of the 11th Tibetan People's Political Consultative Conference (TPPCC) Regional Committee at the second TPPCC plenary meeting on January 26, adding that Shigatse has rolled out a series of measures to protect the city's historic cultural heritage in recent years.

So far, Shigatse local government has issued various kinds of measures, including the Measure for the Protection and Administration of Shigatse Cultural Relics, Implementation Plan for Construction of Shigatse Intangible Cultural Heritage List at Municipal Level. These measures have brought the protection of cultural relics in Shigatse onto the orbit of standardization. At present, all the related protection work of intangible cultural heritage is under steady development.

"Tibet's intangible cultural heritages have been protected and inherited effectively thanks to a series of protective measures. Institutions of cultural relics administration in Shigatse have become more complete; the cultural relics protection system further improved, and the capability in the study and protection of cultural relics continuously enhanced," He introduced.

According to a report delivered by committee member He Shengke, Shigatse city now has a total of 395 intangible cultural heritage items with 94 representative inheritors. More than 800 cultural relics are said to have historical value.

"With time-honored history and splendid ancient civilization, Tibet has endowed with extremely rich cultural heritage. This rich and colorful cultural heritage is the crystallization of the wisdom and civilization of Tibetans. Preservation of cultural essence is aimed at passing on the heritage to future generations," said He.

He Shengke also pointed out that in today's interconnected world, culture's power to transform societies is clear. All kinds of cultural heritages--from our cherished historic relics and museums to traditional practices and contemporary art forms--enrich our everyday lives in countless ways. However, several intangible cultural heritages were disappearing at a faster pace because some old inheritors passed away, and some of the inheritors are advanced in years and lose the ability to spread the culture. Therefore, it's extremely urgent to record those intangible cultural heritages which are on the brink of disappearance.