Joint UNESCO heritage bid for lion dance sees progress

Cultural policymakers and experts from China and Malaysia are now crafting an action plan for protecting and promoting the lion dance, a tradition that has leaped across borders and generations, after submitting a joint bid to UNESCO in late March to recognize the art form as a shared intangible cultural heritage.

The application follows a commitment made in a bilateral statement, signed last year, that said the two countries have agreed to work together on the multinational nomination to inscribe the lion dance on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Confirming the submission in an interview with China Daily, Christina Yeo Ken Yin, undersecretary of the International Relations Division at Malaysia's Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said, "The application has been smooth so far."