The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival has been included in UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at a recent meeting in the United Arab Emirates, Shanghai-based writer Wen Hui Bao reports.

The decision to include the traditional Chinese festival was made by the 24 Member States of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, currently holding its 4th session in Abu Dhabi.

During the UNESCO meeting, which took place on September 30, a total of 76 cultural entities were approved, among which 22 were from China including traditional seal engraving, calligraphy, paper-cutting and opera.

The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu in Chinese, is the first Chinese festival to be included in the official heritage list drawn up by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, usually around June or July.

Liu Shouhua, a professor from the Central China Normal University, said UNESCO's recognition would promote the cultural significance of the 2,000 year old Dragon Boat Festival which is celebrated throughout China and around the world.

It is generally believed that the Dragon Boat Festival originated to commemorate Qu Yuan, one of China's greatest ancient poets who drowned himself in the Miluo River to protest against the corrupt court around 2,000 years ago.

China's application for UNESCO recognition focused on a number of aspects including the Huangshi City boat race in Hubei, and ancient Duanwu customs in Qu Yuan's hometown of Zigui County in Hubei Province, on the banks of Miluo river in Hunan province, and in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province.

The application was jointly sponsored by the above-mentioned three provinces, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Dragon Boast Festival became a public holiday in 2008, as part of the government's attempts to protect the nation's traditions amid rapid economic modernization.

(CRIENGLISH.com October 5, 2009)