Four traditional festive rituals and crafts, including the Yu Lan Festival and the Guangcai Making Technique, have been acknowledged as part of Hong Kong’s representative intangible cultural heritage and will be given priority preservation, the government announced on Friday.
With this addition, the city’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage now comprises 24 items of significant cultural value that require urgent preservation. This list serves as a guideline for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government in determining preservation priorities for these cultural treasures.
An important festive event in various districts and among different ethnic groups in Hong Kong, the Yu Lan Festival involves rituals and performances held to pay homage to ancestors, pacify wandering ghosts, and show gratitude to the deities.
The Guangcai Making Technique refers to a traditional porcelain painting technique that was introduced from Guangzhou in the 1920s. Preserving the essence of the original skills, artisans in Hong Kong integrated it with local attributes and Western techniques, creating a distinctive fusion style.
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The other two newly added items are the Lantern Lighting Ritual, an important tradition among local lineages to celebrate male births; and the Tai Po Night Dragon Boat Parade, held to seek the blessings of the deities and ensure the safety of the community.
In addition, 34 new items, mainly village-based festivals and religious ceremonies, as well as techniques for cooking food or crafting objects with local characteristics, have been incorporated into the city’s inventory of intangible cultural heritage, adding the number of items to 507.
They include Wai Tau Song,which are sung in Wai Tau dialect by females in walled villages; the Lantern Lighting Ritual of Lin Fa Tei Village, Pat Heung, a ritual held by the Kwok and Fung clans during the first lunar month once every five years; and the Soybean Product Making Technique — which processes soybeans into different products like wrapped and pressed bean curd.
The government collected public opinions from August to September about the proposed items for inclusion.
READ MORE: UNESCO recognizes Spring Festival's promotion of harmony
On Wednesday, Spring Festival, a traditional Chinese festival celebrating the traditional new year, was inscribed onto the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list by the United Nations’ cultural agency.
