The Kasteyev State Museum of Arts in Almaty has gathered a unique collection of Kazakh jewelry made during the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. These examples vary in form, type, and technique. The distinctive features commonly found on Kazakh jewelry make them true masterpieces which reflect a specific philosophical understanding of the world and demonstrate the great artistic abilities of the Kazakh people. Indeed, every element that comprises an individual piece of Kazakh jewelry, including its form, details, the material it was produced from, and patterns, has a specific purpose and meaning.\nKazakhstan’s abundant supply of nonferrous and precious metals, including gold and silver, encouraged the development of its metalwork for millennia. Casting, forging, molding, stamping, and embossing techniques emerged as early as the second millennium BC, during the Bronze Age, as did signatory traditional designs for jewelry worn by the Kazakhs both historically and today. Saka treasures discovered in different areas of Kazakhstan—the Issyk Kurgan and the Besshatyr, Kargaly, Altyn-Emel, Tagisken, Uigarak, and Berel burials—are true masterpieces.\nBy studying jewelry, scholars can discern a great deal of important social, economic, and cultural information about the people who wore them. The style of jewelry changed during the Migration Period when the Huns moved westward from 47 BC until the fourth century AD. Artisans applied fine metalwork to nearly all objects where metal was used, from jewelry and household items to harnesses.

The China National Silk Museum (CNSM) first opened in February 1992 and reopened in September 2016. Now it has become one of the first state-level museums in China, where audiences will find 9,000 square meters of displays in a typical southern Chinese garden of 42,286 square meters near West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Old Polish sabre fencing fits within the limits of broadly understood Polish martial art, which in addition to sabre fencing includes fighting on war horses with a hussar lance, pickax (horseman’s pick), scythe, or Polish lance. The basis for the claim that Poland has its own sabre fencing pattern is the fact that it developed its own type of sabre pattern called the hussar sabre (Kwaśniewicz, 1988, p. 66) and the existence of Old Polish fencing with palcaty (short sticks) (Kwaśniewicz, 2017, p. 473)—an important element in the preparation of noblemen and courtiers for fencing with this weapon known as “cross art” (Jezierski, 1791, p. 213), and in the case of short sticks, “striking the clubs ( )” (Kitowicz, 1985, p. 113). This had its origins in the 16th century and its tradition was cultivated until 1939. It was resurrected as a Polish martial art in 1986 under the name Signum Polonicum, functioning as a contribution of Polish national heritage to the world family of national sports and martial arts.

Enrichment, inclusion and empowerment. Why these concepts and why in that order? Are they, next to “sustainable development” of course, the key concepts for the 2020s in heritage policy and practice? Do these concepts already appear in the universe of the Blue Book, the nickname of the Basic Texts of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2018 Edition? This set of texts includes among others the 2003 UNESCO Convention text itself, the most recent version of the Operational Directives (ODs) approved by the General Assembly, the 12 Ethical Principles and the new Overall Results (Based) Framework/ORF (2018).1)\nThe word “empowerment” cannot yet be found but the verb “empower” is used twice: OD130 and OD133. Two times to empower the Director General of UNESCO so she can authorize the use of the emblem of the 2003 Convention. \nThe word “enrichment” cannot yet be found but the verb “enrich” is used twice: in the preamble of the 2003 UNESCO Convention. First in the statement that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals (CGIs), play an important role in (safeguarding) intangible cultural heritage “thus helping to enrich cultural diversity and human creativity”. Then in a statement that international agreements concerning heritage “need to be effectively enriched and supplemented by means of new provisions relating to the intangible cultural heritage.”\nThe word “inclusion” is used twice. Once in the Rule of Procedure (22.4) in a warning/request to delegates of State Parties or observers not to advocate for granting financial assistance or the inclusion on

Traditional Mongolian medicine has a history of more than 2,500 years, and it is one of the most valuable heritages of the Mongolian people. During this long period, although keeping its own distinct features, traditional Mongolian medicine developed a close relationship with Indian Ayurvedic, Tibetan, and Chinese medicines. In fact, Mongolian and Tibetan medicines have the same theory, diagnostic methods and treatment. Traditional Mongolian medicine was the only available method of healthcare before Western medicine was introduced around the turn of the last century. The service provided by practitioners of traditional medicine covered the entire healthcare spectrum and dealt satisfacto-rily with most health problems at that time. As one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization, Mongolia was one of the earliest areas where medicine developed. Our ncestors discov-ered treatment for sicknesses that grew out of their lifestyle and passed these treatments on to the known world at that time.

There are various phenomena that pose a risk to living heritage, ranging from demographic issues to economic pressures, as identified by UNESCO (see https://ich.unesco.org/dive/threat/). This article will address three ongoing issues commonly believed to present a considerable challenge to the viability and practice of ICH in highly urbanized cities: limited land area, increasing focus on modern technology, and the COVID-19 pandemic.\nAs a metropolis with a population of 5.45 million across 728 square kilometers, Singapore must keep abreast of developments in modern technology and urbanization, along with the social, cultural, and economic changes they bring. Similarly, as a hub of international travel and business, Singapore had to navigate the waves of change brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and its implications on the city-state’s ICH.

The tradition of jewelry making in India began with the prehistoric factories of the Harappan civilization which produced metal and bead jewelry and has continued unbroken over five thousand years in the continuity of its form, technique, and symbolism. Some of the earliest excavations of bead and stone factories have uncovered evidence of sophisticated tools like burins, scrapers, cylindrical drills, and micro-drills used to drill holes in beads and etch designs on precious and semiprecious stones. These beads, along with sheet gold and gold wire twisted into intricate earrings, necklaces, bangles, waistbands, and more, represent the humble beginnings of the Indian jewelry tradition. Jewelry has since been used to demonstrate affection, status, power, and skill.