China encourages integrating intangible cultural heritage, tourism

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has ordered efforts to promote integrating the country's intangible cultural heritages and its tourism industry wider and on a higher level.

The ministry also stressed that such integration must apply on the condition that the cultural heritages are effectively protected, said a circular issued by the ministry, published on Wednesday.

The circular listed eight primary tasks, including tourist product development, cultural ecology protection, fostering tourist routes with relevant features, and personnel training.

The circular encouraged efforts to integrate intangible cultural heritages or relevant elements into tourist sites, including theme parks and hotels.

The ministry also said it would select several popular intangible cultural heritage sites and venues with distinctive characteristics as national-level bases for intangible cultural heritage-related experiences.