Tian gave the example of carved lacquer. Carved lacquer is an ancient Chinese cultural heritage. According to traditional methods, each piece of lacquer ware should be brushed with varnish to form 80 to 100 layers in a period of six to eight months. After painting, workers begin to carve various designs into the lacquer. A piece of handcrafted lacquer ware usually takes a year to complete.

However, some small factories use plastic and integrated technology rather than natural paint and hand-carving to make fake lacquer ware today, which has seriously damaged the reputation of Chinese lacquer.

Tian also gave the example of Chinese operas which are now being melded with popular dramas to attract more viewers.

According to Chinese aesthetics, dramatists usually set the scene by means of abstract performance. For example, a horsewhip often shows that the performer is riding a horse in the story. But many artists try to modify traditional operas by using modern dramas and musicals as a reference.

"That's not the correct way, if the cultural tradition, the soul of intangible cultural heritage, is changed by modifications, then the so-called development is bound to fail," said Tian.

Ultimately, while people favor rapid development of the economy and technology, returning to tradition is necessary in order to better protect intangible cultural heritage. "Cultural heritage is a way of life that people inherit from their ancestors and transmit to their descendants. It's not something that can easily be modified, improved or disseminated with modern technology," he said.

Allowing these distinct and invaluable traditions to survive and flourish will be a major challenge for the Chinese people and government over the next few decades.

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