Conflict between Mongolia and China over the Registration of Khoomii as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and its Background

This study analyzes the conflict between Mongolia and China and its background over registration of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.On September 30, 2009, at a meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Abu Dhabi, Khoomii was added to the representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the name of “Mongolian art of singing, Khoomei.” In the following year, at the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Nairobi on November 16, 2010, it was decided that Khoomii would be listed once again as “Mongolian traditional art of Khoomei”. The former is an application for registration in China, while the latter is an application in Mongolia. Although the official name of the registered intangible cultural heritage and the English notation are slightly different, it is not common for a single intangible cultural heritage to be registered consecutively and not jointly. What is even more peculiar is that Mongolians refer China’s registration as an example of cultural exploitation, not only after Khoomii was registered with the name of China in 2009, but also since Mongolia have registered it in its own name in 2010.As seen in the conflict between Korea and China after the registration of Gangneung Danoje in 2005, conflicts between countries over the registration of shared heritage are quite common. Therefore, the backlash of the Mongolians in relation to the Khoomii registration can also be seen as this type of conflict, but it is a very peculiar case in terms of its intensity and persistence. The difference is that while the heritage conflict with neighboring countries we have witnessed is a struggle for the pride of the state, Mongolians see it as a problem that governs the existence of the state beyond ethnic identity. In fact, this is not a simple cultural heritage issue, but complicated issues such as the history of Mongolia and China, and the relationship between Mongolians in Mongolia and Mongolians in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The Khoomii issue is still being dealt with in Mongolian media for this reason. This is also due to the fact that Khoomii is an important component of Mongolian culture, and also due to the perception of Mongolians who associate it with the existence of Mongolia as a state. In consideration of this, I analyzed the conflicts and causes surrounding the registration of Khomii by using articles (simple reports, articles, interviews) related to Khoomii reported in Mongolian media from 2009 when Khoomii was registered on UNESCO under the the name of China.Discussions are consisted in the following order: Mongolia’s backlash against China’s registration of Khoomii in 2009, the concerns of Mongolians about China’s cultural invasion triggered by the Khoomii issue, its political and cultural background, and the problems of the intangible heritage registration system.