"Hezhen Yimakan storytelling," a revered Chinese folk tradition, has been included in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, a move that is sure to preserve these time-honored oral customs for generations to come.

On December 11, during its 20th regular session in New Delhi, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage resolved to transfer China's 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.

The Hezhen community has historically lived along the banks of three rivers: the Amur, the Sungari, and the Ussuri in north-eastern China. With a population of just 5,354 people, representing only 0.0004 percent of China's total population, according to the 2010 Sixth National Population Census, the Hezhen community is one of the smallest ethnic minorities in China. Yimakan storytelling is a traditional oral art form encompassing singing and narration that has been passed down through generations within the Hezhen community.

The stories are recounted by artists in the Hezhen language in both a rhythmic and a prose style. Subjects include heroic actions, shamanic traditions, fishing and hunting lifestyles, folk practices and romance, reflecting the collective memory, education and leisure of the Hezhen people during seasonal labor and festivities.

In May 2006, Yimakan narration was added to the list of representative elements of national intangible cultural heritage. Then, in November 2011, it was added to the Urgent Safeguarding List. The Hezhen community is praised for their extensive history and vibrant culture, especially its exceptional fishing and hunting skills, intricate pattern art, and the captivating nature of Yimakan storytelling.

Since being designated a project requiring immediate protection in 2011, the Hezhen community has embraced its culture with renewed enthusiasm, resulting in increased participation in Yimakan storytelling and related activities, as well as its preservation and sharing. This has fostered the safeguarding of the Hezhen dialect and rejuvenated their cultural practices, enhancing the cultural identity and historical continuity of the communities, groups and individuals associated with them.