China's Tibetan autonomous prefecture to further promote cultural protection

China's Huangnan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, a popular tourist destination featuring abundant Tibetan cultural elements, will invest 3 million yuan (about $425,000) to enhance its intangible cultural heritage protection in 2020, local authorities said Monday.

Huangnan, in Northwest China's Qinghai province, is the cradle of Regong arts, a UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage. It can be traced back to the 10th century and includes thangka painting, sculptures, murals, and other Tibetan Buddhist art forms.

The prefecture will further enrich its intangible cultural protection list by adding 100 prefecture-level protection projects and 100 prefecture-level inheritors in 2020.

It will also establish 20 more intangible cultural inheritance and study centers to provide space for inheritors to instruct students on intangible cultural techniques. In addition, it will publicize local ethnic cultures to the public, said Ruan Yuancheng, deputy director of the culture, tourism, and broadcasting bureau in Huangnan.

In 2019, Huangnan received more than 8.1 million tourists, up 20.5 percent.