Kushtdepdi rite of singing and dancing is a performing art combining the genres of creative poetizing focused on good feelings and wishes, its singing with vocal improvisation and dancing with movements of hands, gestures and footsteps in accordance with the tune of the song. The element serves as a tool and a medium for conveying good wishes for happiness, mutual respect, solidarity, social cohesion to the wide public and youth. The element is considered as an inseparable part of child birth ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and national celebrations. Its introductory part starts with singing poetic words of best wishes for well-being, happiness and sermon for the youth to keep close ties with elders that is performed by a seated group of respected women dressed in traditional costumes. Its next stage continues with inviting performers to start the rite and then the performance is led by singing of a couple of poetry singers (traditionally a woman and a man) with dances to the accompaniment of songs in a semi-closed or closed circles. Dancing movements start with three steps on right foot and then simultaneously tramping and clapping which are intended to drive maleficence and misfortune away from the future life. The element is performed at the end of events concluding in a positive note as a prayer to the nature for fertility, procreation, solidarity and peace.

Turkmenistan 2017

Gar-zo (Blacksmith/iron craft) is one of the Bhutan's 13 traditional crafts and is considered as one of the earliest crafts/arts of the Bhutanese people. It is believed that it was introduced by a Tibetan saint known as Dupthob Thangtong Gyalpo in the 14th Century. He is revered by the Bhutanese people as a master engineer for his skill in casting iron chains and erecting them as bridges over gorges. He is supposed to have built eight suspension bridges in Bhutan. One can still see one of the bridges crossing over the Paro Chu, on the road from Paro to Thimphu, and linking the highway to the famous Tachog lhakhang (temple). The remains of another bridge can be viewed at the National Museum in Paro. However, J. LaRocca,D (2006) in his book mentioned that Dupthob Thangthong Gyalpo came to Bhutan for the first time in 1433-44 to gather the iron ore to build bridges in Tibet. The iron he collected was forged into 7000 links by a team of 18 blacksmiths from five villages near Paro, one of the village was Woochu where the art is still practiced today. It was believed that Thangthong Gyalpo distributed 18 anvils as a token of gratitude among the blacksmiths gathered and blessed them to earn their livelihood and flourish the craft. The donation of iron chain links to Dupthob was an evidence that the people of Woochu practiced the iron craft way before Thangthong Gyalpo’s visit. Unfortunately there are no records and even the oldest living master blacksmith had nothing to substantiate on this matter. There were many places in Bhutan that manufactured iron handicrafts before but with passing time the art and skills faded and only few places are still practicing it today, one of it being Woochu. The origin of black smithy in Woochu is lost in antiquity. There are no records or documents to trace the origin of the art. However, oral accounts of some elderly people posits that the art might have started out of necessity. Before Woochu was known for its famous blades, it manufactured agricultural tools that were used by the locals. Moreover, recent findings showed that a large forging took place near the place where the iron formation was found. Gaw (Blacksmith) Phajo also believes that the founding of black smithy will not be possible without the iron ore. So he supports the idea of the foundation of black smithy due to the iron ore that was found in the area. The blacksmiths of Woochu manufactured and repaired agriculture tools for the locals before it became known for the famous Woochu blades. Woochu blades are very popular and are known for their tensile strength and durability. There were only three iron craftsmen with traditional knowledge and skills before, all are officially retired now. Blacksmithing, a traditional craftsmanship handed down for several hundred years, was on the verge of extinction. With not many blacksmiths remaining and even lesser apprentices showing interest in learning the skill. Those who used to practice the trade has died and some were retired. The younger generations seemed disinterested in taking up the art. Initially the blacksmiths in the area took up the art as part of earning daily wage. It was like any other job that fetched money. Moreover, the job of a blacksmith was physically tiring, and the social stigma that the trade carried was perhaps another reason why it has failed to attract the attention of the younger generations in the community. The blacksmiths were looked down in the community. The art of crafting fine Bhutanese swords was on the decline. In 2016, His Majesty the King commanded for a training center to be set up in Woochu to revive the dying art. Reviving the centuries-old trade was challenging but not impossible. Royal Metal Craft Center (RMCC) was an intervention aimed at reviving and promoting dying crafts and reinstating it as a source of livelihood. The center is now established and works are underway to further develop it.

The element consists of the traditional craftsmanship of a community called Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India. The Thatheras craft utensils are of both utilitarian and ritualistic value made of copper, brass and kansa (an alloy of copper, zinc and tin). The metals used are recommended by the ancient Indian school of medicine, Ayurveda. In Ayurvedic texts, copper is regarded as an ideal metal for making cooking utensils and possessing medicinal properties. On the other hand, kansa is the prescribed metal for retaining the nutritive values of food. The settlement of the craftspeople in Jandiala Guru is laid out along a series of narrow lanes, lined on both sides by small home-cum-worksheds with families living and working on their hereditary profession. Both male and female members participate in the processing and creation of the artefacts. The process begins with procuring cooled cakes of metal which are flattened into thin plates, and are then hammered into curved shapes, creating the required pots, urns, plates and bowls and other artefacts. Heating the plates while hammering and curving them into different shapes requires careful temperature control, which is done by using tiny wood-fired stoves (aided by hand-held bellows) buried in the earth. The utensils are manually finished by polishing with acid, sand and tamarind juice. Designs are carved by skilfully hammering a series of tiny dents on the surface of the heated metal. Using basic tools that are handmade, the craftspeople create ritualistic, ceremonial and utilitarian vessels for both individual and community use.

India 2014

Mr. Huỳnh Bá Quát played a pivotal role in introducing stone carving from Thanh Hóa to Non Nước. The villagers commemorate both the village festival and the anniversary of their ancestors' deaths on the sixteenth day of the third lunar month each year. For their part, the stone masons celebrate the arrival of spring with an ancestral ceremony on January 6. Stone carvers pass on their craft from father to son. Because the method of teaching the job is to teach the job by hand, the team of workers is divided into three basic levels: apprentices, secondảy workers, and master workers. Rough stone/marble miners are called “Civil Mandarin”. The worker who creates the raw product is called "Military Mandarin". Craft tools used in stone sculpture include sledgehammers, crowbars; the soar, the touch; nasal hooves; tarpaulin; nose tick; corn nose; Measure; saws sawing stones and saws cutting rings; drill; and grater. The process of developing a product involves mining and choosing raw stone, making blanks (figuring out the base, making drawings and prints, chiseling blanks, forming products), engraving patterns, embellishing forms, grinding and polishing products. To achieve a stunning color, the laborer needs to apply food coloring to the stone along with bits of green tea, brown shoe polish, and indigo. Based on usage, products include products serving daily needs (flower vases, column bases, teapots) and products serving spiritual needs (feng shui objects, statues, portraits, mausoleums, tombs).

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Najeonjang, or mother-of-pearl inlaying, is a Korean traditional method of decorating the surface of diverse household objects by lacquering and inlaying them with strips of mother-of-pearl. This traditional handicraft is known to have originated from Tang China, but discoveries made at many archaeological sites related with ancient Korean kingdoms prove that Korea has a long tradition of the craft and that ancient Korean people exploited it profusely to produce all kinds of everyday household objects. To produce a lacquer work inlaid with a mother-of-pearl design, the artisan needs to make a “white frame” with wood first of all. He then lacquers its surface and decorates it by inlaying carefully prepared strips of mother-of-pearl, some of which are as thin as threads, on a prearranged pattern by using the techniques of kkeuneumjil and jureumjil. Each of the individual work processes is completed with a stage of grinding, lacquering, and polishing the surface. In the Goryeo and early Joseon Periods, the most favored designs included peony blossoms, chrysanthemums, and lotus flowers. Designs became more diverse during the mid-Joseon Period as artisans began to extend their interest to flowers with birds, white cranes, grapes, apricot flowers, and the Four Gracious Plants. The traditional technique of inlaying mother-of-pearl is a time-consuming process that is currently preserved by, among others, two government-designated artisans, Song Bang-ung and Yi Hyeong-man.

The craft of mounding and bronze casting has been present in Đại Bái since the 10th century, under the Lý Dynasty, associated with the name and merit of the craft's ancestor Nguyễn Công Truyền. To create a bronze casting product, the craftsman must perform many complex and complex technical operations. The first step is to build the furnace (floating furnace and submerged furnace; the structure of the furnace includes the furnace body, a lid - cyclone, and an annular iron ring - rotating; the raw materials for making the furnace are pond mud and rice husks). Next is the product creation process including shaping to create a product model; creating molds to cast into bronze; preparing, cooking and pouring copper; engraving and arranging patterns on the surface of the product; polishing and coloring the product. When smelting copper, combine the appropriate ratio of copper, zinc, and a very small amount of lead; molding: creating a mold according to the shape of the item to be manufactured; inlaid: create an additional round inlaid sheet, hammer the product with a specialized hammer (awl - inlaid awl, mounding awl, barrier awl, parasol awl, patting awl), touch with a tick (brake tick, cupped tick, sharp tick), round, circle, pat the gums, roast, flatten, and cure. The finished product will be husked, washed to create shine, and burned with ironwood charcoal. The final step to create the finished product is flowering (which professionals call this). Techniques such as inlaid molding, copper manipulation, engraving embossed patterns, engraving sunken patterns, inlaying green copper, black copper on red copper, inlaying gold and silver on copper, etc are very good techniques, high in their bronze mounds. Products of Đại Bái bronze mound craft village are very diverse, such as household items (pots, trays, bowls, pots, urns), worship items, fine arts items, and musical instruments. Page themes are often chrysanthemums, clouds, patterns, string flowers, seal lines, stylized flowers and leaves, stylized animals, geometric shapes, bold lines, and thin lines. Products mainly serve religious and decorative needs. Dai Bai people always avoid "offending" the profession's ancestors.

The profession plays an important role in their lives because they often use silver as an amulet and are involved in many rituals. The profession requires ingenuity and meticulousness. To create products, artisans have to go through many sophisticated stages. Tool set includes: blower, furnace, crucible, casting mold, hammer, pliers, anvil and chisels. The material is Indochinese silver coin (flower spread). How to identify and choose silver requires own experience. Professionals are persistent, industrious and creative. Crafting process: kiln burning, silver smelting, molding, shape making, pattern carving and remodeling, polishing. Products include all kinds of rings, necklaces, suitable for the situation, gender and nature of use. In the process of practicing, they have rituals to worship.

Glazed tile and ceramic household stuffs or wallboards of several colours and motifs made by firing the pulped clay soil are called “çini”. Çini-making means the craftsmanship shaped around traditional Turkish art of çini since 12th century with its own specific production and adornment techniques like “minai”, “luster”, “polishing”, “underglaze”. Çini craftspeople generally have used “underglaze technique” since 16th century in their production pursuant to the prescriptions they prepare with their traditional production knowledge about nature. In this technique clay is pulped. Having shaped, the clay is lined and dried. Next, it is fired in çini ovens smooth surface called “biscuit” appears. Patterns prepared by drilling on the paper with openwork technique are transformed to the surface with coal dust and the outer contours are drawn by hand with black paint and brush. Later, patterns are dyed with dyes prepared according to the prescription. The surface of çini is covered with glaze and after it is fired at 900-940°C the çini-making is completed. Among çini adornments generally geometric shapes, plants and animal figures symbolizing cosmic thoughts and beliefs are used in different colours. Using red, cobalt blue, turquoise and green on white or navy blue background is the characteristic feature of traditional çinis. The basic element that characterizes the art of çini is traditional craftsmanship manifested in the applications and the knowledge transmitted from generations to generations about the supply of the raw material, preparation of dyes, production and usage of the tools, firing process, adornment techniques and aesthetics.

Turkey 2016

Lacquer painting in Tương Bình Hiệp was brought to this land by the people from the North and Central regions around the end of the 17th century. Wood is the base material for lacquer. The product is made through 2 stages of painting and polishing by hand. There are many types of lacquer such as lacquer painting, sunken painting, thin painting, hollowed out, embossed, and the most prominent is eggshell inlaid lacquer... A qualified lacquer painting must go through 25 stages that require meticulousness and elaboration. Depending on the type of product, the core will be made of different materials, such as wood used to make tables, chairs, cabinets, vases; plywood used to make paintings, boxes; ceramic used to make vases, statues; fabric or paper used as the core for products with light, thin designs such as bowls, plates, vases. The images drawn on the paintings are images close to the real life of the people such as landscape paintings, banyan trees, wells, communal houses, countryside, historical stories. All have created products with their own unique style.

The traditional technique of steel engraving, perforating, drying and polishing with both hot and cold processions is one of the wonders created by nomadic Mongols. The hearth place of the origin of steel carving is believed was at the Dalaichoinkhor Van khoshuu (smaller territorial unit) of Sain Noyon Khan aimag (province). The Dalaichoinkhor style steel crafts of deities, teapots, incense burners, stirrups, knives, and other accessory of household items are famous for their design and makes.

Gong is one of the instruments in the Pin Peat ensemble. Nowadays, there are only a few people who know how to do it. It is uncommon to see leftovers gong for sale, as each unit requires a considerable amount of capital. So, if a costumer wants to get a gong, he/she has to make a deposit first. The method of making gong described here is the way of the villagers of Trapeang Arak, Ov Lek commune, Ang Snoul district, Kandal province. Nowadays, some modern tools are used to make Gong to save time and labor. For example, in the past people use “Snob Dai, a manual pump” to pump in air to make fire, but now they use an electric fan instead. In addition, for a polishing process, people also use a machine. To produce Gong requires at least three people because during Gong pounding, three people are needed. Gong smith used to buy old metals containing copper and tin from the market. The percentage of copper was 70 to 73 percent, and tin 27 to 30 percent. If the mixture is not mixed properly, the metal will crack. After metals are properly weighed, it will be burned in Kulapheach vessel called "Baw" and then poured into a molded plate. Then the metal is burned again until it soft enough to pound. Gong is made in different sizes and it needed to be arranged in number chronological order. After that, Gong makers re-burn some other metal plates to make Gong’s stand. When that is the case, burn it and pound it on a flat board called “Kda Dos”, so that the middle part of the gong is fatten, called (Dos Gong). Not only that, they immediately burn it again to make it soft enough and make the legs a little smaller than the upper surface (called an umbrella). When all this is done, they burn the fruit and put it in a jar with vinegar. So far, we have seen that the work of each step is to burn the gong several times to get the right shape. But it is still not finished, because you have to take the fruit that comes out in the right shape and polish it. In the past, traditional techniques were required that required the use of a variety of materials, but today it is easier to use a polishing machine. Gong making process is “a real workmanship” that requires special skills and talents. That is why at least on the first day of the lunar month, Vishnu is offered at the head of the pump and the stove. The art of making gongs is an important intangible heritage that can last for a long time as long as those who have the skills can live in this profession properly. Otherwise, it may be lost in the future.