Regulations on the Protection and Inheritance of Flowers in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province

Regulations on the Protection and Inheritance of Flowers in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province

(Adopted at the 5th Session of the 14th People's Congress of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture on February 5, 2015, and approved by the 22nd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th People's Congress of Gansu Province on April 1, 2016)

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 These Regulations are formulated on the basis of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Intangible Cultural Heritage" and the "Regulations on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Gansu Province" and in conjunction with the actual conditions of autonomous prefectures, in order to better protect and inherit flowers as a world intangible cultural heritage and to carry forward excellent traditional culture.

Article 2: "Flowers" as used in these Regulations refers to the flowers of Hezhou and Lotus Mountain that are circulating in the administrative area of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture.

"Protection and inheritance" as used in these Regulations refers to the rescue, collation, archiving, research, teaching, inheritance, display, dissemination and exchange of flowers.

The objects of protection of flowers are:

(1) Flower literature and art;

(2) Flower music and art;

(3) Performing arts of flowers;

(4) Flower Festivals with a broad mass base;

(5) Customs, costumes, musical instruments, props, etc. related to flowers;

(6) Other cultural objects related to flowers that need to be protected.

Article 3 The protection and inheritance of flowers follows the principles of protection first, rescue first, rational utilization, and inheritance and development, adheres to the principles of government leadership, social participation, long-term planning, and step-by-step implementation, maintains the original ecology of flowers, and preserves the nationality, regionality, integrity and authenticity of flowers.

Article 4 People's governments at the county level or above in autonomous prefectures shall include the protection and inheritance of flowers in the national economic and social development plan, include funds for the protection and inheritance of flowers in the financial budgets of the same level, gradually increase the strength of support for the protection and inheritance of flowers, and actively strive for the support and assistance of the State and the provinces in the work of protecting and inheriting flowers.

Article 5 The competent administrative departments for culture at or above the county level of autonomous prefectures shall be responsible for the protection, inheritance and management of flowers within their respective administrative regions.

Development and reform, finance, human resources and social security, housing and urban-rural construction, education, ethnic religions, tourism, health, sports, culture, radio, film and television news and publications, archives and other relevant departments, in accordance with the scope of their respective responsibilities to do a good job of flower protection and inheritance work.

Article 6: All kinds of cultural units, research institutions, academic groups, experts and scholars are encouraged to participate in the protection and inheritance of flowers.

Chapter II: Protection and Utilization

Article 7 The people's government of an autonomous prefecture shall be responsible for compiling a plan for the protection and inheritance of flowers in the autonomous prefecture, which shall be organized and implemented by the competent administrative department for culture of the autonomous prefecture; the people's government of each county (city) shall, on the basis of the plan for the protection and inheritance of flowers in the autonomous prefecture and in light of local realities, prepare a flower protection and inheritance plan for its own administrative region, which shall be organized and implemented by the competent cultural administrative department of each county (city).

Article 8: People's governments at the county level or above in autonomous prefectures shall establish special funds for the protection and inheritance of flowers, mainly for:

(1) Rescue, recording, investigation, and collation of flowers;

(2) Collection and preservation of original materials and physical objects of flowers;

(3) Publication and distribution of flower songwriting research, achievements and publications;

(4) Investment in the implementation of integral protection of flower venues;

(5) Funding from representative inheritors and researchers of flowers;

(6) Funding for the cultivation of flower professionals;

(7) Funding for flower performances and cultural publicity;

(8) Construction and maintenance of flower display sites;

(9) Funding for flower research exchanges;

(10) Rewards for units and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the protection, inheritance, dissemination, and research of flowers;

(11) Funding for influential flower singers and non-governmental organizations to carry out flower performances, displays, and other activities;

(12) Awards for outstanding flower film and television works and literary works.

Article 9: People's governments at the county level or above in autonomous prefectures shall establish flower cultural and ecological protection zones for the following specific areas that are well preserved, distinctively characterized, in a good state of existence, have important value, and have a broad mass base, and carry out regional protection as a whole.

(1) Yongjing County and Jishishan Baoan Dongxiang Sala Autonomous County, which have been identified by UNESCO as the base for the investigation and recording of folk songs;

(2) Hezheng County and Kangle County, named by the Chinese Folk Writers Association as the Chinese Flower Protection Base and the Chinese Flower Inheritance Base;

(3) Songming Rock, Lotus Mountain, Bingling Temple, Zhao Family Forest, Taizi Mountain, Gaixinping and other representative traditional flower venues.

Article 10 The people's governments of autonomous prefectures encourage and support the lawful development of domestic and foreign cooperation and exchanges with flowers, increase the influence of flowers, and carry forward the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation.

Article 11: The competent administrative departments for culture of autonomous prefectures are responsible for conducting censuses, collections, records, archives, teachings, inheritance, displays, dissemination, and exchanges of flowers.

Article 12: Flower materials, physical objects, venues, and facilities owned by citizens, legal persons, and other organizations are protected by law, and must not be encroached upon or damaged by any unit or individual.

Citizens, legal persons, and other organizations are encouraged to sell or donate their legally owned materials and materials related to flowers to flower protection and inheritance research institutions for collection, safekeeping, and exhibition, and the competent administrative departments for culture will issue donation certificates to donors.

Flower information and physical objects collected, purchased, and donated by research institutions for the protection and inheritance of flowers shall be registered, recorded, archives established, and properly kept.

Article 13: Citizens, legal persons, and other organizations are encouraged to rationally utilize flower cultural resources on the basis of effective protection, and to develop flower cultural products and tourism service projects.

The use of flower cultural resources shall respect their authenticity and cultural connotations, and maintain the original cultural ecology and cultural style.

Chapter III: Inheritance and Dissemination

Article 14: The competent administrative departments for culture at the county level or above in autonomous prefectures are responsible for establishing places for transmission and learning, confirming and announcing representative inheritors of flowers, and encouraging representative inheritors of flowers to carry out inheritance activities in cultural centers, cultural stations, and inheritance sites in accordance with law.

Article 15: Representative inheritors of flowers shall meet the following conditions:

(1) Proficiency in the singing skills of flowers;

(2) Be representative in the field of flowers and have a greater influence in a certain area;

(3) Actively carry out inheritance activities and cultivate successor talents.

Article 16 Representative inheritors of flowers shall enjoy the following rights:

(1) Teaching, displaying and carrying out academic research on flowers;

(2) Enjoy the subsidy funds for inheritors;

(3) Where there are difficulties in carrying out inheritance activities, apply for support from the competent cultural administrative department at the county level or above in the autonomous prefecture;

(4) To put forward opinions and suggestions on the protection and inheritance of flowers;

(5) Selecting and cultivating heirs in accordance with the form of teacher succession or other means.

Article 17 Representative inheritors of flowers shall perform the following obligations:

(1) Employ methods such as apprenticeship, training, and running schools to impart skills, and cultivate talent for the next generation of flowers;

(2) Properly sorting out and preserving physical objects and materials related to flowers;

(3) Cooperate with relevant departments to carry out investigations related to flowers;

(4) Participate in the public welfare publicity of flowers.

Article 18: People's governments at the county level or above in autonomous prefectures and their competent administrative departments for culture may employ the following measures to support representative inheritors of flowers in carrying out inheritance and dissemination activities:

(1) Providing necessary places for inheritance;

(2) Providing necessary funds to fund activities such as apprenticeship, art transmission, and exchanges;

(3) Provide necessary funds to fund the collation and publication of flower materials;

(4) Support inheritors to participate in social welfare activities;

(5) Other measures to support the carrying out of inheritance and dissemination activities.

Article 19: The competent administrative departments for culture at the county level or above in autonomous prefectures shall conduct an evaluation of the representative inheritors of flowers once every two years. Where the appraisal is unqualified, it is ordered to make corrections within a time limit, and where it is still unqualified after rectification, the original accreditation organ shall cancel the qualifications.

Article 20: The competent administrative departments for culture of autonomous prefectures shall establish and improve mechanisms for the protection and inheritance of flowers, and excavate and cultivate talents for the protection and inheritance of folk flowers. Encourage and support all kinds of cultural and artistic organizations and individuals to carry out flower performances, displays, inheritance and other activities.

Article 21: The competent administrative departments for culture at the county level or above in autonomous prefectures are responsible for organizing and carrying out the rescue, collection, and collation of flowers, establishing archives of flower materials and inheritors' data, and strengthening the work of editing and publishing the results of flower research.

Article 22: All levels and types of schools in autonomous prefectures with the capacity may develop popular reading materials for flowers that are appropriate to the characteristics of students, carry out flower teaching activities, impart and disseminate basic knowledge of flowers, and cultivate flower talents.

Article 23: Public media such as newspapers and periodicals, radio and television, and the Internet within the territory of autonomous prefectures shall employ various forms to publicize the knowledge of flowers.

Chapter IV: Legal Liability

Article 24: Where any of the following conduct is committed in violation of article 12 of these Regulations, the competent administrative department for culture of the people's government at the county level or above or relevant departments is to handle it in accordance with law; where there are illegal gains, confiscate the illegal gains; where losses are caused, bear civil liability for compensation in accordance with law; and where a crime is constituted, pursue criminal responsibility in accordance with law.

(1) Destroying or appropriating materials such as flower heritage documents, physical objects, etc. collected, acquired, donated, or displayed by public cultural institutions;

(2) Destroying or encroaching on materials, physical objects, or places of flower heritage owned by citizens, legal persons, and other organizations.

Article 25: Where the staff of the competent administrative departments for culture or other relevant departments abuse their powers, neglect their duties, or engage in favoritism or malpractice in the work of protecting and inheriting flowers, the unit to which they belong or the competent department at a higher level shall give administrative sanctions to the directly responsible managers and other responsible personnel; where a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be pursued in accordance with law.

Chapter V Supplementary Provisions

Article 26: These Regulations take effect on the date of promulgation.

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