The 22 Chinese elements inscribed on the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009

1. The art of Chinese seal engraving:

As a cornerstone of Chinese fine arts, the seal was originally used as a signature or sign of authority, but it came to be used by all social classes throughout much of southeast Asia.

2. China engraved block-printing technique:

The technique requires the collaboration of half a dozen craftspeople possessing significant printing expertise, dexterity and team spirit.

3. Chinese calligraphy:

Chinese calligraphy has always been more than simply a tool for communication, it has incorporated the element of artistry for which the practice is still valued in an age of ballpoint pens and computers.

4. Chinese papercuttings:

Present throughout China and among various ethnic groups, papercutting is a popular art integral to everyday life. A predominantly female pursuit in rural areas, it is passed down from mother to daughter over a long period of time.

5. Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures:

Standing as distinctive symbols of Chinese architectural culture, the wooden components of timber-framed structures, such as the columns, beams, purlins, lintel and bracket sets, are connected by tenon joints in a flexible, earthquake-resistant way.

6. The craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocade:

In weaving Nanjing Yunjin brocade, two craftspeople operate the upper and lower parts of a large, complicated loom to produce textiles incorporating fine materials such as silk, golden thread and peacock feather yarn.

7. The Dragon Boat Festival:

Beginning on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, people of several ethnic groups throughout China and the rest of the world celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

8. Farmers' dance of China's Korean ethnic group:

Gathering in fields or villages during community festivals, members of the Korean ethnic group in Jilin and other provinces in northeast China offer a traditional sacrifice to the God of the Land to pay homage to nature and pray for good fortune and a plentiful harvest.

9. Gesar epic tradition:

The ethnic Tibetan, Mongolian and Tu communities in west and north China share the story of the ancient hero King Gesar, who was said to have been sent to heaven to vanquish monsters, depose the powerful, and aid the weak while unifying disparate tribes. The singers and storytellers perform episodes of the vast oral narrative (known as "beads on a string") in alternating passages of prose and verse with numerous regional differences.

10. Grand song of the Dong ethnic group:

It's a tradition of the Dong people in Guizhou Province in southwest China to pass on culture and knowledge through music, as exemplified in the Grand song of the Dong ethnic group, a multi-part song performed without instrumental accompaniment or a lead vocalist.

11. Hua'er:

In northwestern Gansu and Qinghai provinces and throughout north-central China, people of nine different ethnic groups share a musical tradition known as Hua'er. The music is drawn from an extensive traditional repertoire named after ethnicities.

12. Manas:

The Kirgiz ethnic minority in China's Xinjiang region in the west pride themselves on their descent from the hero Manas, whose life and progeny are celebrated in one of their oral traditions—the Manas epic. Without musical accompaniment, epic performances take place at social gatherings, community celebrations, ceremonies such as weddings and funerals and dedicated concerts.

13. The Mazu belief and customs:

As the most influential goddess of the sea in China, Mazu is at the center of a host of beliefs and customs, including oral traditions, religious ceremonies and folk practices, throughout the country's coastal areas.

14. Khoomei, the Mongolian art of singing:

The Mongolian art of singing—Khoomei, or throat harmony—is a style in which a single performer produces a diversified harmony of multiple voice parts.

15. Nanyin:

Nanyin is a musical performance central to the culture of the people of Minnan in south Fujian Province along China's southeastern coast and to Minnan populations overseas.

16. Regong arts:

In monasteries and villages along the Longwu River Basin in Qinghai Province in west China, Buddhist monks and folk artists of the Tibetan and Tu ethnic groups carry on the plastic arts of painting Thangka and murals, crafting patchwork barbola and sculpting, known collectively as the Regong arts.

17. Sericulture and silk craftsmanship of China:

Based in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces near Shanghai and Chengdu in Sichuan Province, the craftsmanship is traditionally an important role for women in rural regions. Silk making encompasses planting mulberry, raising silkworms, unreeling silk, making thread, and designing and weaving fabric.

18. Tibetan opera:

Tibetan opera, the most popular traditional opera of minority ethnic groups in China, is a comprehensive art combining folk song, dance, storytelling, chanting, acrobatics and religious performances.

19. The traditional firing technology of Longquan celadon:

The city of Longquan in the coastal Zhejian Province is known for its celadon pottery and the traditional firing technology that imparts its distinctive glaze. Compounded from violet-golden clay and a mixture of burnt feldspar, limestone, quartz and plant ash, the glaze is prepared from recipes that have often been handed down for generations by teachers or within families.

20. The traditional handicrafts of making Xuan paper:

The unique water quality and mild climate of Jingxian County in Anhui Province in east China are two of the key ingredients in the craft of making Xuan paper, used especially in traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy.

21. Xi'an wind and percussion ensemble:

The music has been played, mainly on religious occasions, for more than a millennium in China's ancient capital of Xi'an in northwestern Shaanxi Province. It is a type of music integrating drums and wind instruments, sometimes with a male chorus. The content is mostly related to local life and religious beliefs.

22. Yueju opera:

The Chinese tradition of Yueju opera combines Mandarin operatic traditions and Cantonese dialect. Rooted in the Cantonese-speaking Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yueju opera is characterized by a combination of string and percussion instruments.

(Source:UNESCO's official website)