This year marks the 10th anniver- sary of China joining the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003. During the past decade， a total of 29 Chinese intangible cultural heritage items， including Kunqu Opera， were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity， ranking China with the most inscriptions.
　　 Intangible Cultural Heritage in China
　　Not until 2001， when Kunqu Opera was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO， did the concept of intangible cultural heritage protection emerge as a social issue in China and begin drawing public attention both domestically and globally.
　　In 2003， “Project of Protecting Folk and Ethnic Culture” was launched by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance， aiming to complete several ambitious goals related to China’s folk and ethnic cultural protection by 2020. When the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO that same year， the “Project of Protecting Folk and Ethnic Culture” was renamed “Project of Protecting Intangible Cultural Heritage，” marking the comprehensive and systematic ignition of China’s intangible cultural heritage protection.
　　Later， when Chinese shadow puppetry was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011， joining many other protected arts such as guqin （one of the oldest Chinese musical instruments） and its music， Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group， Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam， and Mongolian Khoomei singing， China shot to the top of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list in quantity.


　　Backed by the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Intangible Cultural Heritage， the only newly-added legislation in the field of cultural heritage after the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Protection of Cultural Relics since the founding of the People’s Republic of China more than six decades ago， intangible cultural heritage protection in China is now developing under a favorable environment.
　　Moreover， as more people began joining in the protection of heritage， inheritors of all kinds of intangible cultural heritage elements became injected with more confidence to continue the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage despite concerns and doubts.
　　 Challenges Ahead 　　However， intangible cultural heritage protection work has been stuck in an awkward situation due to some government officials’ benefit-oriented attitude toward protection. Any protection for the sake of profits without consideration of the nature of the heritage can only be regarded as exploitation of the heritage， which is more harmful to the item than beneficial.
　　Although the state has been allocating greater and greater funds to intangible cultural heritage protection annually since 2003， and the total now cumulatively sits at 2.2 billion yuan， a wide variety of heritage projects still claim a lack of funds due to the massive amount of intangible cultural heritage in China. China’s national list of intangible cultural heritage includes more than 1，200 items and over 1，900 inheritors. For instance， practitioners of Fujian puppetry boast world-class skill， but it’s hard for them to even stage a show due to a lack of funds. Against this backdrop， governmental support in the form of money and tax exemptions is still the most pressing need to help inheritors who primarily maintain their skills through small-scale projects.


　　Additionally， to protect intangible cultural heritage more effectively， standardized market access criteria should be set and launched to ensure the exchange value of products related to intangible cultural heritage. For example， Thangka paintings composed with mineral pigment should sell at a much higher price than those made with chemical pigment， though it is hard for most people to recognize such subtle differences.
　　In intangible cultural heritage protection， utilization is equally as important as protection， and one cannot work without the other. We protect intangible cultural heritage out of respect for the diversity of human culture. However， the cultural products of the heritage， which are gaining more popularity with young people， still do have sufficient economic potential to be utilized. It is not fair to abandon heritage simply because its market value is low during a certain period. Serving as a resource supporting the foundation of cultural innovation in China， all intangible cultural heritage deserves to be protected in a manner that stimulates its market potential， which in turn promotes more comprehensive protection in the long run.