Four intangible cultural heritage items in Tibet's Chamdo Prefecture have been listed in a digitization protection project of state-level intangible cultural heritages, bringing a higher level of digitization development and cultural inheritance, according to Xinhua report.

The cultural items to be digitized include Gorchom circle dance in Chamdo Prefecture, Shinze dance in Mangkam County, Repa dance in Dengqen County as well as butter sculpture in the renowned Chambaling Monastery.

The "Digitization Protection Project of China's Intangible Cultural Heritages" is a planned project of the Ministry of Culture in the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), which aims to speed up resource collection and set up a display platform of intangible cultural heritages through various media including pictures, texts and videos.

Originated in late May of 2011, the project is now in the pilot phase. And 11 pilot sites have been established, among which the only site in Tibet is in Chamdo Prefecture.

The installation of software and other equipments underway is scheduled to be finished by this July, said Tengpa Yarphel, director of intangible cultural heritage office in the cultural department of Chamdo.

The software will systematically record high-quality texts, pictures, videos, three-dimensional animations as well as information of cultural inheritors, showing an all-round and direct display of information after collecting and sorting by advanced techniques.

"By then, these cultural items will be shown through a public platform, which is also served as an authoritative source of information publishing and academic research," said Tengpa Yarphel. "We strive to bring more intangible cultural heritage items into the project, promoting the permanent preservation of Tibetan intangible cultural heritages."