Chinese Zhusuan became the World Intangible Cultural Heritage

Today,the biggest China metro news is that Chinese Zhusuan was listed as the World Intangible Cultural Heritage.Zhusuan,the Chinese traditional method of calculations using the abacus,has been listed as a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage.The decision was made during UNESCO's 8th intergovernmental Council in Azerbaijan.The Chinese Zhusuan is the 30th item in China to make the list, the greatest number of any country. Japanese cuisine, including sushi and the traditional food preparation methods and culture, has also been listed. 

The abacus,called Suanpan in Chinese,is considered the world's most ancient computer.It is an ancient calculating method with a history of over 2,500 years, can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC). It has two decks and more than seven rods. The upper deck, which is known as heaven,has two beads on each rod. These beads each have the value of five. There are five bead son the bottom deck, known as earth. Each of these has the value of one. The beads are moved up and down during calculation.It is regarded as the fifth invention in Chinese history and was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

The abacus’s popularity has been compromised over the course of time by the emergence of digital calculators; however, they are still in use in many of China’s rural marketplaces.Today, the abacus has a richer value as a cultural symbol rather than a practical calculating tool.

The UNESCO stated that intangible cultural heritage could bring a sense of identification to the people who own it and it is essential to maintaining cultural diversity and human creativity in China metro news.

Since 2001, China has successfully applied for 37 items to be listed as World Intangible Cultural Heritages, including Kunqu opera, the shadow play and acupuncture.

China metro news reported that currently has 30 intangible cultural heritage items listed by UNESCO, the most among all countries throughout the world.

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