China to boost traditional vocal arts

China will step up its support for folk vocal arts, according to a guideline from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) that was made public Monday.

Folk arts, named "Quyi" in Chinese, refer to various narrative and singing forms including ballad singing, comic dialogues, clapper talk and crosstalk, which remain popular among the Chinese people.

The guideline aims to better preserve these traditional art forms and promote their development.

Nine major tasks were listed, including carrying out research on and evaluation of representative Quyi projects, producing excellent works of Quyi to meet the people's needs, supporting Quyi performances and increasing performance frequency, as well as promoting the popularization of Quyi to enlarge its audience.

The MCT has been active in formulating policies to enhance the protection of various forms of intangible cultural heritage. The guideline comes on the heels of similar policy documents concerning traditional Chinese opera and traditional craft.