Leading the Protection and Inheritance of Rural Intangible Cultural Heritage through Party Building

Rural revitalization requires both shaping the physical form and forging the soul. Rural culture plays a key role in the soul-forging project, and as an important component of rural culture, rural intangible cultural heritage (hereinafter referred to as "rural intangible cultural heritage") possesses unique value and significance. So-called rural intangible cultural heritage refers to forms of cultural expression in rural areas that are passed down through generations by rural communities, peasant groups, or individuals, and are regarded by them as part of their cultural heritage; it also includes the tools, objects, and sites related to these forms of expression. As an important component of China's fine traditional culture, rural intangible cultural heritage is the crystallization of agricultural history, rural art, and peasant wisdom, and has two prominent characteristics. First, it has distinct regional markers; most rural intangible cultural heritage is directly linked to local folk customs, living habits, festivals, and beliefs, reflecting the cultural characteristics of the local area and possessing strong distinctiveness and recognizability. Second, it profoundly embodies the aesthetic tastes of peasants. Rural intangible cultural heritage originates from the creativity of peasants, is closely related to their production and daily life, takes forms that are popular and "down-to-earth," and fully reflects peasants' aesthetic preferences; through intangible cultural heritage, they can release emotions and gain aesthetic experiences.

乡村振兴既要塑形，也要铸魂。乡村文化在铸魂工程中发挥着关键作用，而作为乡村文化的重要组成部分，乡村非物质文化遗产（以下简称“乡村非遗文化”）具有独特价值和重要意义。所谓乡村非遗文化，指由农村、农民群体或个体世代相传，并视其为文化遗产组成部分的乡村文化表现形式，同时也包括与这些表现形式相关的工具、实物及场所等。作为中华优秀传统文化的重要组成部分，乡村非遗文化是农耕历史、乡村艺术和农民智慧的共同结晶，具有两方面突出特征。首先是具有鲜明的地域标识，乡村非遗文化大多与当地的民风民俗、生活惯习、节庆信仰等直接关联，反映区域乡土文化特色，具有较强的标识性和辨识度。其次是深刻体现了农民的审美趣味。乡村非遗文化来自农民的创造，与农民的生产生活紧密相关，具体形式喜闻乐见又“接地气”，能充分反映农民的审美偏好，他们能通过非遗文化释放情感并获得审美体验。

Rural intangible cultural heritage can not only meet the cultural needs of peasants and regulate their spiritual life, but also promote the construction of civilized rural customs through edutainment, and provide peasant groups with collective identity and emotional resonance, thereby enhancing village cohesion and centripetal force. It can be said that rural intangible cultural heritage has multidimensional efficacy for rural revitalization, and protecting and inheriting intangible cultural heritage is of great significance for promoting the construction of rural cultural-ethical progress and achieving common prosperity in the spiritual life of peasants. It must not be overlooked that, although the Party and the state attach great importance to rural intangible cultural heritage and have carried out a large amount of protection and inheritance work, due to the transformation of rural society, especially the rapid development of urbanization and the large-scale migration of young and middle-aged labor, rural intangible cultural heritage currently faces challenges such as weak protection awareness, a shortage of inheritors, declining peasant participation, and difficulties in revitalization and innovation. How to strengthen protection and inheritance and achieve high-quality development of rural intangible cultural heritage has become an important proposition in the modernization of rural areas.

乡村非遗文化既能满足农民文化需求并调节农民精神生活，又能以寓教于乐的方式推动乡风文明建设，还能为农民群体提供集体认同和情感共鸣，进而增强村庄凝聚力和向心力。可以说，乡村非遗文化对于乡村振兴具有多维效能，保护传承非遗文化对于推动乡村精神文明建设及实现农民精神生活共同富裕具有重要意义。不容忽视的是，尽管党和国家对乡村非遗文化高度重视并开展了大量保护传承工作，但由于乡村社会转型尤其是城镇化的迅猛发展、青壮年劳动力大规模流动等方面的影响，乡村非遗文化当前面临保护意识不强、传承人才断层、农民参与度降低、活化创新难度大等挑战。如何加强保护传承、实现乡村非遗文化的高质量发展，成为农村现代化发展中的重要命题。

The inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage is an important project for cultural-ethical progress, requiring the joint efforts of multiple forces. It is necessary to give full play to the Party's core leadership role, uphold and implement the Party's cultural leadership, and enhance the leading capacity for cultural development through Party building, especially the building of Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels, so as to provide impetus and guarantees for the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage.

乡村非遗文化传承是精神文明建设的重要工程，需要多方力量共同努力，要充分发挥党的领导核心作用，坚持并落实党的文化领导权，通过党组织尤其是县乡村三级党组织建设来提升文化发展的引领能力，为乡村非遗文化保护传承提供动力和保障。

Gather momentum for the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage through ideological leadership. The Party's ideological building is the foundational building of the Party and the key to maintaining the Party's advanced nature. In recent years, the central and local governments have successively introduced many policies and measures for the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage. Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels must fully recognize the important role of protecting and inheriting rural intangible cultural heritage in upholding the Party's cultural leadership, as well as the great political significance of achieving common prosperity in the spiritual life of peasants, and take supporting rural intangible cultural heritage as their own political responsibility and important task. On the one hand, strengthen theoretical study and enhance cultural leadership capacity. Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels must thoroughly study

通过思想引领凝聚乡村非遗文化保护传承动力。党的思想建设是党的基础性建设，是保持党的先进性的关键。近年来，中央和地方相继出台了很多非遗文化保护传承的政策和举措，县乡村党组织要充分认识到乡村非遗文化保护传承在坚持党的文化领导权过程中的重要作用，以及实现农民精神生活共同富裕的重大政治意义，将支持乡村非遗文化作为自身的政治责任和重要任务。一方面，加强理论学习并提升文化领导能力。县乡村党组织要深入学习贯彻习近平文化思想及习近平总书记有关中华优秀传统文化的重要论述精神，通过理论学习来提升思想自觉和领导能力，研判乡村非遗文化保护传承所面临的挑战，有针对性地做好顶层设计和整体规划，建立科学有效的任务分解机制、专项扶持机制、人才培养机制等，督促、激励、支持各基层党组织提升乡土文化保护传承意识和工作执行力。另一方面，武装乡村党员领导干部和广大党员的头脑。县乡村党组织要全面加强基层党组织干部队伍和党员队伍建设，重点发挥党员干部的头雁效应及广大党员的骨干作用，针对他们开展乡村非遗保护传承的专题教育培训，促使他们提升自身的政治领悟力和主动作为意识，支持他们结合实际主动探索乡土文化保护传承的“微改革”“微创新”，通过他们发挥先锋模范作用，传播先进的文化思想观念并带动更多农民积极参与，形成党建引领优秀传统乡土文化保护传承的持续动能。

Through organizational leadership, we build the carriers for the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage. The core of Party building leadership is organizational leadership, meaning that Party organizations play a guiding role, leveraging and catalyzing the consciousness and autonomous awareness of the broad masses of Party members and the people, thereby gathering greater strength to promote the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage. On the one hand, Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels should adopt more measures to cultivate the inheritor teams of rural intangible cultural heritage. At the county and township levels, policy guidance should be strengthened, multi-faceted support for representative inheritor teams should be enhanced, and methods such as master-apprentice instruction and school-based training should be actively encouraged to strengthen the construction of ordinary inheritor teams. In particular, in light of the unique characteristics of rural intangible cultural heritage, a system of collective inheritance in villages should be explored, selecting outstanding inheritors from among college graduates returning to their hometowns to start businesses and the new farmer group [1]1 The "new farmer group" (新农人) refers to a new type of agricultural practitioner in China, often including educated youth, returning migrant workers, and technology entrepreneurs who engage in modern agriculture with new concepts, technologies, and business models., setting up special public welfare funds, and supporting inheritors in carrying out activities such as bringing intangible cultural heritage into schools and villages, thereby cultivating more enthusiasts and successors for rural intangible cultural heritage. At the same time, external professional talents in intangible cultural heritage can be introduced through special-post recruitment, talent dispatch to the countryside, and other forms, supporting them in using modern technology and design creativity to drive local intangible cultural heritage inheritors, jointly promoting the revitalization and innovation of rural intangible cultural heritage. On the other hand, Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels should lead the establishment of platforms for the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage. Rural intangible cultural heritage is embedded in rural society and village communities, and its audience is local farmers. Many of these folk, performance-based, and collective forms of intangible cultural heritage require the direct participation of farmers. Therefore, platforms such as village cultural councils, cultural associations, and literary and artistic associations should be established relying on the New Era Civilization Practice Stations (Suo) [2]2 New Era Civilization Practice Stations (Suo) (新时代文明实践站所) are grassroots-level institutions established across China since 2018 under the guidance of the Party, designed to promote the core socialist values and organize cultural, educational, and volunteer activities at the village and community level., with certain financial support provided, institutional norms and operational mechanisms established, more farmers attracted to join as members, and support given for holding various rural intangible cultural heritage activities, thereby achieving the autonomous protection and authentic inheritance by farmers. In short, Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels should strengthen talent cultivation and couple it with cultural platforms, making them living carriers for the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage. Through this carrier, not only can more strength be gathered, but it can also effectively drive the broad masses of farmers to participate, meeting their cultural needs, enhancing their cultural welfare, and at the same time realizing the popularization of the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage.

通过组织引领搭建乡村非遗文化保护传承载体。党建引领的核心是组织引领，也即党组织发挥引导作用，撬动和催化广大党员群众的自觉性和自主意识，进而汇聚更大力量来推动乡村非遗文化保护传承。一方面，县乡村党组织应采取更多举措培养乡村非遗文化的传承人队伍。县乡层面应加大政策引导力度，加强对代表性传承人队伍的多方面支持，积极鼓励以师徒相授、学校培养等方式加强普通传承人队伍建设，尤其针对乡村非遗文化的独有特点，探索乡村集体传承制度，从回乡创业的大学生、新农人群体中遴选优秀传承人，设置专项公益基金，支持传承人开展非遗文化进校园、进村庄等活动，培养更多乡村非遗文化的爱好者和接班人。与此同时，还可以通过特岗招聘、人才下乡等形式引入外部的非遗文化专业人才，支持他们运用现代科技和设计创意带动本土非遗传承人，共同推动乡村非遗文化的活化创新。另一方面，县乡村党组织应领导建立乡村非遗文化保护传承平台。乡村非遗文化嵌入乡土社会与村庄社区中，其受众是当地农民，其中很多民俗类、展演类的群体性非遗文化必须有农民直接参与。由此，应依托新时代文明实践站所设置村庄文化理事会、文化协会、文艺协会等平台，给予一定的经费支持，建立制度规范和运行机制，吸纳更多的农民加入其中成为会员，支持举办各类乡村非遗文化活动，实现农民的自主保护和本真传承。总之，县乡村党组织应加强人才培养并将其与文化平台进行耦合配置，使其成为乡村非遗文化保护和传承的活态载体。通过这一载体不仅可以汇集更多力量，还可以有效带动广大农民参与其中，满足他们的文化需求，提升他们的文化福利，同时又能实现乡村非遗文化保护传承的大众化。

Through action leadership, explore a new path for the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage. The development of Party building leading the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage requires not only direction and organization but also action. Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels should continuously reform systems and mechanisms to explore more scientific paths for protection and inheritance. First, lead the transformation of rural intangible cultural heritage into industrial products, forming new quality productive forces. Among rural intangible cultural heritage, cultural forms that can enter the market, such as performance-based and handicraft-based local cultures, have the potential to be transformed into rural cultural industries. Products developed in combination with creative design can be fully integrated into modern life, and their cultural symbols can be transformed into distinctive product brands, empowering local industrial development and forming cultural new quality productive forces. Second, lead the integration of rural intangible cultural heritage with rural tourism, shaping distinctive cultural IPs. Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels should actively act under the guidance of relevant Party and state policies, pooling the forces of the market, society, and Party members and the masses in the process of rural tourism planning and development. By integrating rural intangible cultural heritage resources, they can transform them into forms such as cultural workshops, cultural halls, cultural exhibition areas, and cultural activity points, fully combining them with pastoral landscapes, ecological agriculture, and specialty catering. Cultural experiences should be integrated into sightseeing, health preservation, and study tours, using distinctive cultural IPs as the soul to promote the deep integration of rural culture and tourism, driving farmers toward common prosperity. Finally, Party organizations should lead innovation in rural intangible cultural heritage service mechanisms, achieving the normalization of cultural welfare. Party organizations at the county, township, and village levels should lead institutional and mechanism innovation for the protection and inheritance of excellent traditional local culture, incorporating more local intangible cultural heritage suitable for performance and meeting the daily needs of local farmers into the supply scope of rural public cultural services. They should purchase cultural services from organizations or inheritors engaged in rural intangible cultural heritage, enabling the broad masses of farmers to enjoy cultural services for free. This can not only enhance farmers’ cultural welfare but also provide special support for the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage, allowing it to continue taking root in local areas and achieve living inheritance.

通过行动引领探寻乡村非遗文化保护传承新路。党建引领乡村非遗文化保护传承的发展不仅要有方向、有组织，更要有行动。县乡村党组织应不断进行体制和机制改革，探寻更加科学的保护传承路径。首先是领导开展乡村非遗文化向产业产品转化，形成新质生产力。乡村非遗文化中能走向市场的部分文化形式，例如展演类、手工类乡土文化，具有转化为乡村文化产业的潜能，结合创意设计开发的产品可以充分融入现代生活，其文化标识也可以转化为特色的产品品牌，为本地产业发展赋能，形成文化新质生产力。其次是领导推动乡村非遗文化与乡村旅游融合，塑造特色文化IP。县乡村党组织应在党和国家相关政策的引导下积极行动，在乡村旅游规划和发展过程中汇聚市场、社会及党员群众力量，融合乡村非遗文化资源，将其转化为文化工作坊、文化馆、文化展陈区、文化活动点等形式，与田园景观、生态农业、特色餐饮等充分结合，将文化体验融于观光、康养、研学过程之中，以特色文化IP为魂，推动乡村文旅的深度融合，带动农民实现共同富裕。最后是党组织应领导乡村非遗文化服务机制创新，实现文化福利常态化。县乡村党组织应领导开展优秀传统乡土文化保护传承的体制机制创新，将更多适合展演、符合当地农民日常需求的乡土非遗文化纳入乡村公共文化服务的供给范围，向开展乡村非遗文化的组织或传承人购买文化服务，使广大农民免费享受文化服务。这样不仅可以提升农民的文化福利，还可以为乡村非遗文化保护传承提供专项支持，使其继续根植乡土，获得活态传承。

Party building leadership is the engine driving the high-quality development of rural intangible cultural heritage, injecting momentum, providing carriers, and exploring new paths for its protection and inheritance. In essence, the process of Party building leading the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage is a process in which the Communist Party of China practices the “people-centered” concept, organizes and mobilizes farmers to promote the high-quality development of rural cultural undertakings, and at the same time, it is a process of implementing the Party’s cultural leadership and continuously improving its own level of cultural leadership. Party building leading the protection and inheritance of rural intangible cultural heritage will inevitably spark a “planting culture” [3]3 “Planting culture” (种文化) is a metaphorical term used in Chinese political discourse to describe grassroots cultural activities that are initiated and sustained by local communities themselves, as opposed to being imposed from above, analogous to “sowing” cultural seeds that grow organically. upsurge among rural areas and farmers, promoting the common prosperity of farmers’ spiritual life and laying a solid cultural foundation for rural revitalization.

党建引领是推动乡村非遗文化高质量发展的引擎，能为其保护传承注入动能、提供载体并探索新路径。从本质上看，党建引领乡村非遗文化保护传承的过程是中国共产党践行“以人民为中心”理念、组织和动员农民推动农村文化事业高质量发展的过程，同时也是落实党的文化领导权、不断提升自身文化领导水平的过程。党建引领乡村非遗文化保护传承也必将在农村和农民中掀起“种文化”热潮，促进农民精神生活共同富裕，为乡村振兴奠定坚实的文化基石。

(The author is a professor at the Nanjing Forestry University base of the Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)

（作者系江苏省习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心南京林业大学基地教授）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧