The Law of the People's Republic of China on Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereinafter referred to as the ICH Law) came into force on June 1, 2011. This means that the Chinese intangible cultural heritage (ICH) will be legally p[protected.
The ICH Law prohibits any use of ICH by means of distortion or derogation. It comprises of 45 articles in 6 chapters, including but not limited to Intangible Cultural Heritage Investigation, Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Projects, Inheritance and Dissemination of Intangible Cultural Heritage, etc.
In recent years, the protection and inheritance of ICH have drawn extensive concern in the international community. China acceded to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2004, and the ICH Law will further strengthen the protection of ICH in China.
