My initial research among Lach community in Lac Duong town, Lam Dong province, Vietnam started with my participation in a project entitled “Establishment of associated mechanisms for conservation of landscape biodiversity and cultural space in Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam,” headed by Southern Institute of Ecology (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) in 2016. The project was successful to some extent in documenting characteristics of cultural spaces of ethnic peoples in the region and the reality of these spaces’ conservation in close relationship with that of biodiversity. Noticeably, being a world heritage, gongs cultural space was recognized as one of the crucial elements constituting the entire cultural spaces and cultural identity of local ethnic groups in the region and thus recorded as being imperative for conservative strategies and actions. These preliminary conceptualizations attracted me as an anthropologist to explore further insights into the socio-economic and cultural life of the Lach in the context of their daily life from 2017 to 2018. \n\nAs the people have been taking more active parts in their national and international integration, their social and economic spaces get expanded, adjusted and re-created. So are their cultural spaces in general and gongs cultural space in specific. This paper is to explore local gongs clubs of the Lach in Lac Duong town and gongs culture restoration activities at the parish church of Langbiang to reveal the fact that gongs cultural spaces of the Lach are far from static, fixed and in need of reservation. Rather, they are dynamic, inclusive and on the process of continuous meaning making as the result of the people utilizing their agency in creating initiatives and mechanism to practice their culture and transfer it to next generations. It is implied that by ways of local participation and community based training, cultural heritage can be prolonged and perpetuated itself alive.

Abstract: Shared between China and Mongolia, the element of “Urtiin duu, the traditional folk long song” constitutes the first exemplar of multinational nomination and joint safeguarding effort in the East Asian subregion, from which we can draw certain experiences and lessons both for international cooperation, and domestic policy-making in the safeguarding of shared living heritage, thereby providing further understanding and contributing to the implementation of the 2003 Convention and the 2030 Agenda from perspectives of East Asia. The present paper extends from briefing the bilateral candidature file to its joint 10-year safeguarding actions (2005-2015), covering discussions on post-inscription actions, problematic issues, and possible solutions. \n\nIn November 2005, “Urtiin duu, the traditional folk long song” (hereinafter referred to as “Urtiin duu,”) which connects the man with nature and the universe, was proclaimed by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity through a joint file by China and Mongolia. In November 2008, Urtiin duu was incorporated in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity (UNESCO, 2008). As the very first case in multinational nomination to the Lists of the 2003 Convention32 from Asia-Pacific region, China-Mongolia cooperation in the early stages of the Convention, paved the way to the safeguarding of shared living heritage and resultedin enriched experience with lessons, extending a meaningful case for reflecting issues in promoting cooperation in East Asian sub-region and beyond.