This article seeks to undertake what might be characterized as a multidimensional analysis of Intangible Cultural Heritage Studies, tracing what appears to be the evolution of theoretical frameworks, classification logics, protection systems, and transmission mechanisms in contemporary China. By examining both institutional arrangements and lived practices, this review appears to suggest what seems to be a subtle interplay between administrative order, local knowledge, and cultural vitality. What seems to emerge from this review is the apparent ambiguity inherent in translating lived experience into formal categories, the seemingly ongoing negotiation between state discourse and community agency, and the complex power dynamics embedded in processes of recognition, incentive, and cultural reproduction. Reflecting on the methodological and conceptual challenges that appear to be facing current scholarship, what this analysis tends to support is the call for more nuanced, critical, and participatory approaches. What also appears significant in this context is the need for new research agendas attentive to both the tensions and the possibilities that emerge at the intersection of tradition, policy, and social transformation.
Joo‐Hyun Song (Tue,) studied this question.