중국의 무형문화유산 보호정책과 과제 – 마조신앙을 중심으로

Abstract

China, having a long history, possesses a rich cultural heritage. Currently, UNESCO has included 35 items of China's traditional culture in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 7 items in the Urgent Safeguarding List, and 1 item in the Best Practices List. Among them, Mazu belief became the first folk belief in China to be included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The UNESCO inclusion of Mazu belief was made possible with the assistance of the intangible cultural heritage protection policies implemented by the Chinese government. During the Cultural Revolution in China, Mazu belief was stigmatized as superstition and was systematically destroyed. Temples, statues, and religious artifacts were all vandalized, and the transmission of rituals and ceremonial practices came to a halt. However, starting from the year 2000, efforts were made to restore the rituals and customs of Mazu belief that were once performed in temples. As a result, Mazu belief achieved remarkable success, being recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in China and being included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This achievement was not solely attributed to religious efforts but also owed much to the intangible cultural heritage protection policies led by the Chinese government. Therefore, this paper examined China's intangible cultural heritage protection policies with a focus on Mazu belief, exploring the series of processes that led Mazu belief to transition from a local maritime belief to a national-level intangible cultural heritage and eventually be designated as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. Subsequently, it delved into the challenges and issues that Mazu belief needs to address in order to maintain its folk religious attributes within the framework of the current intangible cultural heritage protection policies led by the Xi Jinping government.