The Collection of Intangible Cultural Heritage Studies in Macao, co-edited by Prof Wang Zhong, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the City University of Macau and Dr Zhang Zexun, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Education of the University of Macau, was launched yesterday in the “2022 Spring Book Fair” (Chinese: 2022春季書香文化節) held at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion. Prof Wang Zhong and Dr Zhang Zexun attended the launching ceremony and the seminar themed on Macao’s intangible cultural heritage and contemporary society.
The Collection contains 14 research papers on intangible cultural heritage in Macao, 12 of which were completed by the research team led by Prof Wang Zhong. The research scope of the project includes the Belief and Customs of A-Ma, the Belief and Customs of Tou Tei, the Procession of Our Lady of Fatima, the Portuguese Communities Day, the Dragon Dance, the Lion Dance, the Cantonese Opera, the Confection of Custard Tarts, and the Tai Chi Martial Arts. The publication is a synthesis of research theories and methods from history, anthropology, sociology, communication, art and cultural studies, reflecting the recent research results and research perspectives of the CityU on intangible cultural heritage.
At the symposium, Prof Wang stressed that intangible cultural heritage is of great value in building identity in culturology and anthropology. He said that it promotes community cohesion and development in sociology and politics and the utilisation of cultural resources in economics. Prof Wang believed intangible cultural heritage is an inspiration that drives science and technology advancement, which should be supported by the whole community.
In a media interview, Prof Wang pointed out that there is no unchanging tradition, and said that protecting intangible cultural heritage should involve a developmental perspective that focuses on the relationship between intangible cultural heritage and contemporary society and the market’s needs instead of adopting a “frozen approach” so that its value can be entirely played out.
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Source: Macao Daily News & Click2Macao News
