China's Hezhen Yimakan storytelling inscribed on UNESCO Representative List

China's nomination of Hezhen Yimakan storytelling was approved Thursday at the 20th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in New Delhi, India, moving it from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Additionally, the safeguarding plan for Hezhen Yimakan storytelling was selected for inclusion in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.

The Hezhe people are primarily distributed across the three-river basin of the Heilongjiang, Songhuajiang, and Wusulijiang rivers in northeastern China. With a population of just over 5,000, they are one of the country's smallest ethnic groups.  

Yimakan storytelling is a time-honored oral art form practiced by the Hezhe ethnic group in northeast China, and passed down through the generations in a blend of sung and spoken performance. Narrated in the Hezhen language, it combines rhythmic and prosaic delivery to convey its rich narratives. It vividly encapsulates the ethnic history, heroic legends, hunting and fishing culture, rituals, customs, and moral values of the Hezhe people.

With this inscription, China now has 45 items on UNESCO's various lists of intangible cultural heritage, ranking first in the world for the total number of entries.