Shandong province recently announced the fourth edition of its provincial intangible cultural heritage list, of which 58 are from representative projects and 59 are supplementary projects from the previous list.

Gaoqiao Shouxiu, or hand embroidery, was born in the town of Gaoqiao, Shandong province and is always seen at festivals and joyous occasions. [Photo/sdwht.gov.cn]

Stone and scroll ink printing, a type of lithography, originates from Shandong province's central city Zibo. [Photo/sdwht.gov.cn]

The assessment for the list started in March last year and 117 projects were selected from a total of 470 candidate items through a strict judging process.

The fourth list includes a wide range of projects, which cover all 10 categories specified by the government with respect to the intangible cultural heritage.

Compared with former lists, the fourth one features distinguishing characteristics. Traditional handicrafts take up nearly half of the total items. The judges paid great attention to endangered projects that require salvage and protection measures.