First Representative List

of the ICH Inventory of Hong Kong

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced on 14 August 2017 the first Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong (Representative List), which comprises 20 items. The Representative List will provide the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the Government of the HKSAR) with a basis for prioritising resources and safeguarding measures for intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items, especially those of high cultural value and with an urgent need for preservation.

 

The first Representative List covers 20 items, including 10 items, i.e. Nanyin (southern tunes), spring and autumn ancestral worship of clans, the Tin Hau Festival in Hong Kong, Mid-Autumn Festival - the Pok Fu Lam fire dragon dance, the Taoist ritual tradition of the Zhengyi school, the sek pun (basin feast), Hong Kong-style milk tea making technique, the paper crafting technique, the technique of making Hong Kong cheongsam and kwan kwa wedding costume, and the bamboo theatre building technique were recommended by the ICH Advisory Committee after deliberation on the 480 items of the first ICH inventory of Hong Kong. The Government of the HKSAR then launched a three-month public consultation during February and May 2017 to gauge public views on these 10 recommended items. More than 200 public opinions were received with the majority of the public supporting the recommendations.

 

The first Representative List also includes the 10 local items which have already been inscribed onto a higher threshold - the national list of ICH – and were automatically included in the Representative List. The 10 items are: Cantonese Opera, Hakka Unicorn Dance in Hang Hau in Sai Kung, Quanzhen Temples Taoist Ritual Music, Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade, Mid-Autumn Festival - the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, Yu Lan Festival of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community, Wong Tai Sin Belief and Customs, Herbal Tea and the Arts of the Guqin (The Craft of Qin Making).