The Social Movement of Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and the End of Cultural Revolutions in China

Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), an international collaboration among governments through UNESCO, was rapidly transformed into a widespread social movement in China. As a result of both the introduction and adoption of ICH practices and principles within China, new cultural concepts, new laws, and new public cultural policies were promulgated. For the first time in the recent history, many aspects of folk cultures that were suppressed are now gaining legitimate status in public domains. This social movement has changed, ended, and even subverted the concepts and logic of cultural revolutions in China since the 19th century.