The Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage Studies (CICHS) of Zhejiang University was established in April 2007 as a research and consulting institute, specializing in the transmission, safeguarding and management of intangible cultural heritage. The CICHS cooperates with the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and hereby integrates the academic resources of Zhejiang University with the needs of local social and cultural development. The center’s strategic goal is to effectively bundle scientific research from multiple disciplines and offer professional research and consulting services. The founding director was Prof, Lai Jinliang. The organizational structure of the center consists of four segments: the senior academic committee, the Zhejiang University core research team, the interuniversity research team and the committee for external operations (with governmental and non-governmental actors).

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the field of Critical Heritage Studies has had a significant influence upon cultural heritage research and practice. From heritage managers to NGOs, many actors have begun to critically scrutinize the traditional idea of (tangible) heritage, reflect upon its limitations and its impacts on preservation work. At the same time, the notion of intangible cultural heritage and a people-centered approach to living heritage has become increasingly recognized. The CICHS stands out for its strong expertise in intangible cultural heritage, but it also hosts a team of specialists from other disciplines such as architecture, digital technology and linguistics, hereby providing a broad research scope and solid interdisciplinary academic capacity.

The CICHS has established eight long-term research themes and institutional goals: Grand Canal heritage, digital technologies and heritage, advancement and innovation of heritage theory, heritage management and social education, intangible cultural heritage and museums, the reproduction of cultural space in rural areas, development of theory and practice on the uses of intangible cultural heritage, international cooperation.

The Zhejiang University core research team:

Ruan Yunxing, Liu Zhaohui, Wang Hui, Diao Changyu, Jia Y. Liang, Liu Zhijun, Guan Changlong, He Shanmeng, Philipp Demgenski, Yang Jianping, Xian Longyuan, Wang Jing, Shi Tian,etc.