The Leisure & Cultural Services Department's Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Office has developed the mechanism and criteria to recognise the bearers of items on the Representative List.

Application forms can be downloaded from the ICH Office's website from January 6 and can be submitted until March 2, 2026. The first batch of bearers is expected to be announced in 2026.

The office made reference to the national ICH representative bearer recognition and management system, as well as those of Guangdong Province and the Macao Special Administrative Region, while taking into consideration the needs of ICH inheritance in Hong Kong.

There are currently 24 items on the Representative List. Bearers are responsible for launching programmes to pass on these items, nurturing successors, preserving relevant physical objects and information, conducting research, and promotional or educational activities.

Applicants must be permanent residents of Hong Kong, and are required to submit information about their line of inheritance or mentorship background, as well as learning and practical experience. They must also provide information about their knowledge, core techniques, and achievements related to an item on the Representative List, as well as relevant supporting documents and evidence.

Applicants should also furnish information about their activities in inheritance and promotion, relevant physical objects and materials in their possession, as well as any other reference information relevant to the application assessment.

Assessment criteria include mastery of techniques, with a deep knowledge and thorough grasp of the core techniques of the item on the Representative List. Applicants should have more than 20 years of inheritance and practical experience in Hong Kong. As representatives of an item on the Representative List, they should also possess widespread recognition and influence within the region.

Additional criteria include playing a crucial role in passing on the item on the Representative List, actively engaging in inheritance activities, nurturing successors, and a readiness to promote the passing on of the item to the public. Applicants should be patriotic, dedicated and law-abiding, and demonstrate excellence in both moral integrity and practice of the item on the Representative List.

Applicants are required to submit the completed application forms together with the supporting documents in person to the Hong Kong ICH Centre located at Sam Tung Uk Museum, 2 Kwu Uk Lane, Tsuen Wan.

The ICH Office will provide a briefing session on the recognition mechanism and criteria for interested applicants at 3pm on January 12, 2026, at the Museum of History. Registration is required.