Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in China: Two Decades of Experience, Ongoing Challenges, and Pathways for the Future

Over the past two decades, China has made substantial progress in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) through legislative measures, institutional coordination, technological innovation, and academic engagement. Key achievements include establishing a comprehensive legal and policy framework, developing a multi-level inventory system, cultivating representative heritage bearers, promoting community-based safeguarding practices, and expanding international exchange and cooperation. Despite these advances, China’s ICH safeguarding efforts continue to face structural challenges, including pressures on intergenerational transmission arising from rapid modernization, regional disparities in safeguarding capacity, tensions between commercialization and cultural authenticity, and constraints in shaping international discourse on ICH governance. This paper argues that future efforts should focus on refining legal and regulatory frameworks under government leadership, strengthening inter-regional coordination mechanisms, and exploring sustainable models that integrate cultural heritage with tourism and local development. By systematically analyzing China’s practical experience through policy analysis and case studies, this study seeks to provide transferable insights for countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, particularly in cultural governance, heritage sustainability, and intercultural dialogue, thereby contributing to the safeguarding of global cultural diversity.