Preserving the Hezhe voices

Inscribed in 2011 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding by UNESCO, Yimakan storytelling is an oral art in the form of singing and speaking that has been transmitted from generation to generation by the Hezhe people, who speak a language without a written form. It serves not only as a historical record of the Hezhe's past but also as a living testament to their spirit and values.

"Yimakan performers improvise stories without instrumental accompaniment, alternating between singing and speaking, and make use of different melodies to represent different characters and plots. They usually train in a master-apprentice relationship within their own clans and families, although today, outsiders are increasingly accepted for apprenticeship," the UNESCO website states.

Yimakan was also included in the list of national-level intangible cultural heritage representative items in 2006.