Bac Giang (VNA) – A ceremony was held in thenorthern province of Bac Giang on September 7 to celebrate 10 years since “Danca quan ho” (quan ho folk songs) and “ca tru” singing were recognised as partof the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
In his speech, Chairman of the Bac GiangPeople’s Committee Nguyen Van Linh said in 2009, Bac Giang and neighbouring BacNinh province, described as the cradle of quan ho, had their folk singing genreinscribed in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage ofhumanity. Bac Giang, together with 15 other localities, also had ca tru namedin the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
Other the last 10 years, Bac Giang has attachedimportance to the preservation and promotion of the values of local tangibleand intangible cultural heritage, including quan ho and ca tru, by seriouslyrealising the commitments to UNESCO in the work, he stressed.
Thanks to efforts by local authorities andpeople, quan ho in the province has been not only developed in Viet Yendistrict, the centre of this heritage in the northern bank of the Cau River,but also practiced widely in others. From 18 original quan ho villages and fiveclubs, Bac Giang has had 84 clubs with nearly 1,500 members.
Meanwhile, from only one club in 2009, there arenow seven ca tru clubs across the province.
Linh said aside from opening quan ho and ca truclasses, organising symposiums and exhibitions, and publishing books on theheritages, Bac Giang has also promoted the rehabilitation of relics and thebuilding of cultural facilities serving quan ho and ca tru performances. Localclubs have also been assisted in heritage preservation.
At the event, 16 artisans were bestowed with thePeople’s Artisan and Meritorious Artisan titles. Twenty-seven collectives andindividuals with outstanding achievements in quan ho and ca tru preservationand promotion were also honoured.-VNA