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About two months ago, the traditional Chinese art of calligraphy became listed with UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. The Chinese Calligraphers' Association held a seminar last weekend in Beijing to plan the future of this ancient art form.

Leading members of the Chinese Calligraphers' Association attended the seminar. Among them were both practitioners of the artistic tradition and distinguished researchers, who reviewed efforts at bringing Chinese calligraphy to world prominence.

The participants believe that the inclusion of Chinese calligraphy into the UNESCO list will greatly promote the art internationally. It will also deliver an important boost to the cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries.

In China, where paper was invented, calligraphy as an art has a history dating back more than 3-thousand years. It still remains part of the standard curriculum in the nation's elementary education. But recent years have seen a drastic decline in the number of the art form's practitioners, partly because of the widespread use of computers among youth.

The Chinese Calligraphers' Association unveiled its preliminary plans at the seminar to revive the time-honored tradition. The initiative, titled "Protection of Chinese Calligraphy", seeks to enhance the profile of calligraphy in contemporary life.

China has been granted 29 places on the UNESCO intangible heritage list, making it first among the world's nations.