National intangible heritage
Thirty-six ways Quanzhou carries knowledge forward
The national inventory stretches from Nanyin and opera to shipbuilding, tea, dress, incense, festivals and belief. This page keeps all 36 official Chinese names visible and makes the list usable in English.
Deeper visitor guides
Begin with a form you can actually follow
These selected pages connect the official record with sound, movement, material, place and visitor etiquette. They are entry points, not a ranking of the 36 projects.
Liyuan Opera
A Quanzhou theatre tradition whose precise hand gestures, low-centred movement and old southern repertory reward close, patient watching.
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Gaojia Opera
An extroverted Minnan opera form combining vigorous movement, percussion, martial energy and a highly developed comic performance tradition.
Explore Quanzhou String Puppetry
A marionette theatre in which performers coordinate many strings with music, voice and a large inherited repertory.
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Quanzhou Chest-beating Dance
A strongly rhythmic male group dance in which bare-handed strikes to the chest, sides and legs create both movement and percussion.
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Hui'an Women's Dress
A distinctive system of headwear, short jackets, trousers, belts and adornment shaped by community identity and coastal working life.
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Xunpu Women's Customs
A community tradition whose floral headwear, dress, kinship and coastal livelihood are now far more complex than the popular flower-crown image alone.
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Dehua Porcelain Firing
A porcelain-making tradition connecting clay selection, forming, modelling, glazing and high-temperature firing with centuries of export and present-day production.
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Quanzhou Lantern Craft
A varied lantern-making tradition using frames, paper, silk, cutting, painting and light for festival display and household celebration.
ExploreComplete official directory
All 36 national projects
English names below are practical editorial translations. The Chinese project names are retained because they are the authoritative search terms for official records, schedules and local sources.
Oral traditions
1- Legend of Chen San and Wu Niang 陈三五娘传说
Traditional music
2- Nanyin 南音Guide →
- Quanzhou Beiguan 泉州北管
Traditional dance
1- Guide →
Traditional theatre
6- Liyuan Opera 梨园戏Guide →
- Gaojia Opera 高甲戏Guide →
- Gaojia Opera, Ke school 高甲戏（柯派）
- Puppetry, Quanzhou string puppetry 木偶戏（泉州提线木偶戏）Guide →
- Puppetry, Jinjiang glove puppetry 木偶戏（晋江布袋木偶戏）
- Dacheng Opera 打城戏
Traditional sports and martial arts
1- Five Ancestors Boxing 五祖拳
Traditional fine arts
6- Paper cutting, Li Yaobao paper engraving 剪纸（泉州〈李尧宝〉刻纸）
- Hui'an stone carving 惠安石雕
- Puppet-head carving, Jiang Jiazou tradition 木偶头雕刻（江加走木偶头雕刻）
- Lantern craft, Quanzhou lanterns 灯彩（泉州花灯）Guide →
- Anxi bamboo and rattan weaving 竹编（安溪竹藤编）
- Yongchun paper-weaving painting 永春纸织画
Traditional craftsmanship
7- Dehua porcelain firing 德化瓷烧制技艺Guide →
- Watertight-bulkhead Fu-junk technology, Jinjiang 水密隔舱福船制造技艺（晋江）Guide →
- Watertight-bulkhead Fu-junk technology, Quangang 水密隔舱福船制造技艺（泉港）Guide →
- Oolong tea processing, Tieguanyin 乌龙茶制作技艺（铁观音制作技艺）Guide →
- Minnan residential construction, Licheng 闽南传统民居营造技艺（鲤城）Guide →
- Minnan residential construction, Hui'an 闽南传统民居营造技艺（惠安）Guide →
- Minnan residential construction, Nan'an 闽南传统民居营造技艺（南安）Guide →
Traditional medicine and health practice
1- Traditional health practice, Lingyuan Wanying tea 中医养生（灵源万应茶）
Festivals, belief and social customs
11- Dragon Boat Festival, Anhai Suoluolian custom 端午节（安海嗦啰嗹习俗）
- Dragon Boat Festival, Shishi cross-strait sea-crossing custom 端午节（石狮端午闽台对渡习俗）
- Hui'an women's dress 惠安女服饰Guide →
- Lantern Festival, Quanzhou festivities 元宵节（泉州闹元宵习俗）
- Lantern Festival, Dongshi cross-strait lantern custom 元宵节（闽台东石灯俗）
- Nan'an Yingdu Babadeng lantern gathering 灯会（南安英都拔拔灯）
- Qingshui Patriarch belief 民间信俗（清水祖师信俗）
- Xunpu women's customs 蟳埔女习俗Guide →
- Quanzhou Taishi lion combat 泉州刣狮
- Quanzhou woodcarving 泉州木雕
- Traditional incense making, Yongchun 传统香制作技艺（福建〈永春〉香制作技艺）
The list confirms recognition, not today's timetable.
A project can be nationally listed and still be seasonal, community-based or accessible only through an arranged programme. Use each detail page to understand the practice, then verify current access.