China nominates Duanwu Festival for UNESCO list

BEIJING, May 28 -- Authorities in Hubei province have submitted an application to UNESCO nominating China's Duanwu (Dragon Boat) Festival for the "Intangible Culture Heritage" tag.

Actors perform traditional dance during the opening ceremony of a culture festival in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 26, 2009, to celebrate the Chinese traditional Duanwu Festival which falls on May 28 this year. A culture festival with the theme of Duanwu folk custom was held here from May 26 to 30 in the city. (Xinhua Photo)

Four years ago, the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Ganjeung Danojie (Duanwu) festival made the prestigious UNESCO list of intangible heritages, which sparked a heated debate, with China claiming and the ROK acknowledging that the festival originated in the Chinese mainland.

The Dragon Boat Festival falls today this year.

In its 2005 application to UNESCO, the ROK wrote: "(The) Duanwu Festival, which originated in China, has been celebrated by Korean people for over 1,500 years."

"There is no reason for confusion or conflict," said Jiang Qinghe, director of Intangible Culture Heritage Protection Center of Hubei province. "The ways of celebrating the festival in China and the ROK are completely different."

Citing an example, Jiang said the Azerbaijani Mugham, the Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang of China, and Iraqi Maqam, which are the "same kind of folk song with the same origin", have all been designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage.