U.S. stocks close higher

U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 497.46 points, or 1.05 percent, to 48,057.75. The Standard and Poor's 500 added 46.17 points, or 0.67 percent, to 6,886.68. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 77.67 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 23,654.16.

Nine of the 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors ended higher, with industrials and materials leading the gainers by rising 1.84 percent and 1.77 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, utilities slipped 0.11 percent.

The Chinese folk tradition of "Hezhen Yimakan storytelling" has been added to the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, a recognition that inheritors and researchers say will help to better preserve and promote these age-old artistic customs.

At its ongoing 20th regular session in India's New Delhi, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage decided to transfer Hezhen Yimakan storytelling from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

At the same time, based on the effectiveness of the protection of this heritage project, the committee decided to include the safeguarding program for Hezhen Yimakan storytelling in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.

Last year saw three Chinese elements, including Li textile techniques, being successful transfered from the Urgent Safeguarding List. The upgrade in status for Hezhen Yimakan storytelling also represents the first time that an element has achieved both a transfer and an inscription on the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices simultaneously.

As an age-old oral tradition passed down through generations of the Hezhe ethnic group, Hezhen Yimakan storytelling is narrated in the Hezhe language and performed in a mixed prose-and-verse style. It conveys the ethnic group's history, heroic tales, fishing and hunting practices, rituals, and moral norms. While documenting the past, it has also played a key role in educating younger generations, with its entertaining format ensuring the tradition has retained its vitality over many centuries.

Since its inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List in 2011, various stakeholders, including bearers, community groups, research and educational institutions, intangible heritage protection centers and governments at different levels, have worked together with a community-centered approach. Their joint efforts have continuously enhanced the intergenerational transmission and visibility of the storytelling art form.

In December 2023, when submitting the third periodic report on the safeguarding status of the element to UNESCO, China simultaneously submitted its request for the transfer of the element to the Representative List. The committee examined and approved the periodic report at its 19th session in December 2024, recognizing China's safeguarding efforts and encouraging continued community participation and practice to ensure the effective transmission of the element.

Wu Xuan, deputy director of the Heilongjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center in northwest China, said that the important steps taken in recent years by existing practitioners have seen the popularity of the historic storytelling form grow significantly, as more people learn how to conduct these cherished performance styles.

"The number of recognized inheritors at the national, provincial, city, and county levels has grown from five performers at the initial application for urgent safeguarding to 121 individuals now, with three people having passed away. Additionally, more than 500 students have participated in both online and offline training programs of Yimakan storytelling," said Wu.

Huang Renyuan, a researcher at the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences, also believes the concerted efforts that have been undertaken will significantly amplify the safeguarding and preservation of the long-standing tradition.

"This recognition will promote the Hezhen people's enthusiasm for learning Yimakan and the Hezhen language, thereby strengthening the ongoing inheritance and protection of the tradition. We should develop various artistic forms such as novels, essays, poetry, and stage plays from Yimakan and use its elements in the cultural tourism industry, to help rural revitalization in the region," said Huang.

With the latest inscriptions, the total number of Chinese elements on UNESCO's Lists and Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage has risen to 45, including 40 on the Representative List, three on the Urgent Safeguarding List and two on the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.