On December 1, 2025, the “Capacity-Building Workshop on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage for Lao PDR (Second Session),” jointly organized by the International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP) and the Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR, with support from Chengdu Vocational University of the Arts, opened in Chengdu. Twenty participants from relevant departments of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR attended the training.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Zhang Jing, Director-General of CRIHAP. Attendees included Phouheuang Souvannalath, Deputy Director of the Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR; Yu Kaiyuan, Chairman of Chengdu Vocational University of the Arts; Zhang Fan, Deputy Director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Division of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcast-TV and Tourism; and Yu Tianxiang, President of Chengdu Vocational University of the Arts.

Following the first Lao workshop in 2024, this workshop aims to further enhance exchanges and cooperation in intangible cultural heritage (ICH) between China and Laos and deepen practical collaboration in ICH safeguarding. Focusing on the theme of developing safeguarding plans, the workshop combines systematic instruction and case studies to help participants master the essentials of creating safeguarding plans, thereby enhancing the standardization and practical effectiveness of ICH safeguarding.

During the five-day training, UNESCO facilitators Deirdre Prins-Solani and Nandadeva Bilinda Devage will deliver sessions on core concepts and ethical principles of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, methodologies for developing safeguarding plans, strategies for community engagement, and the links to Sustainable Development Goals. The curriculum includes theoretical overviews, case studies, and practical exercises. Participants will also conduct field visits to Qingshen County to see an example of bamboo weaving, an element of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and engage in on-site exchanges with national-level representative ICH bearers. By integrating theoretical knowledge with practice, participants will work in groups under expert guidance to draft safeguarding plans for local ICH elements in Laos, further enhancing their professional capacity in ICH safeguarding.