Puppets find favor with UN
Source: Xinhua |
November 28, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINESE shadow puppetry has been added to the United Nations' List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
On Saturday, the ongoing Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage meeting in Bali, decided to honor Belgium and China by adding heritage from both countries to the list.
Chinese shadow puppetry is a form of theater whereby colorful silhouettes perform traditional plays against a back-lit cloth screen, accompanied by music and singing.
Puppeteers make the figures from leather or paper and manipulate them by means of rods to create the illusion of moving images.
The puppeteers' skills of simultaneously manipulating several puppets, improvisational singing, and playing various musical instruments are handed down in families and troupes, passing from master to pupil.
The committee decided to include it in its list to recognize that the puppetry art spreads knowledge, promotes cultural values and entertains the community, especially the young.
Also listed were the age sets of Leuven, Belgium, a decade-long rite of passage for men who share the same year of birth. According to the ritual, men form their group at the age of 40 and participate in social and cultural activities that culminate 10 years later with a celebration around the city's statue of the prophet Abraham.
Each age set chooses its own medal, flag and uniform, and has a "godfather" a decade older. The age set rituals provide participants and the entire city with a strong sense of identity.
The committee is expected to evaluate 35 more nominations for their eventual inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the Bali session.
On Saturday, the ongoing Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage meeting in Bali, decided to honor Belgium and China by adding heritage from both countries to the list.
Chinese shadow puppetry is a form of theater whereby colorful silhouettes perform traditional plays against a back-lit cloth screen, accompanied by music and singing.
Puppeteers make the figures from leather or paper and manipulate them by means of rods to create the illusion of moving images.
The puppeteers' skills of simultaneously manipulating several puppets, improvisational singing, and playing various musical instruments are handed down in families and troupes, passing from master to pupil.
The committee decided to include it in its list to recognize that the puppetry art spreads knowledge, promotes cultural values and entertains the community, especially the young.
Also listed were the age sets of Leuven, Belgium, a decade-long rite of passage for men who share the same year of birth. According to the ritual, men form their group at the age of 40 and participate in social and cultural activities that culminate 10 years later with a celebration around the city's statue of the prophet Abraham.
Each age set chooses its own medal, flag and uniform, and has a "godfather" a decade older. The age set rituals provide participants and the entire city with a strong sense of identity.
The committee is expected to evaluate 35 more nominations for their eventual inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the Bali session.
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