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India, China Propose Joint UNESCO Nomination for 7th Century 'Great Tang Records' Under BRICS Heritage Strategy

Culture & HistoryIntl. RelationsPolitySUPPORT
Target:UPSC GS-IMPSCSSC GATeachingPrelims HighMains MediumStatic GK Link
14 Jun 2026
~2 min
Source: Indian Express
Key Data:Two dossiers per country per two-year cycle (UNESCO)7th century (Xuanzang's period)19 years (Xuanzang's travel duration)
Bodies:Ministry of External AffairsIndira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA)UNESCOBRICS
Practice MCQs from today's news ▸
What This Article Covers

1.India and China are discussing a joint nomination to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List for Xuanzang's 7th-century travelogue, 'The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions'.

2.The proposal is part of a broader BRICS strategy to file collaborative nominations to overcome UNESCO's limit of two dossiers per country per two-year cycle.

3.This cooperative approach contrasts with past instances like the 2017 conflict over Sowa-Rigpa and highlights shared civilisational heritage like Buddhist scriptures and Panchatantra fables.

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · Medium

India and China are in advanced discussions for a joint UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage nomination for 'The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions', the 7th-century travelogue of Buddhist monk Xuanzang. This strategic move, emerging from BRICS Culture Working Group meetings, aims to expedite heritage safeguarding by leveraging a framework that allows joint nominations to bypass the two-dossier-per-cycle limit, marking a shift from past competitive stances at UNESCO.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

Proposed Nomination'The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions'
UNESCO List TargetIntangible Cultural Heritage List
Key Historical FigureXuanzang (Hiuen Tsang), 7th century
UNESCO Dossier LimitTwo per country per two-year cycle
Other Proposed Joint NominationsPanchatantra with Iran, Satyagraha philosophy with South Africa
BRICS Culture Ministers MeetAugust 2026 in Bhopal

1-Minute Revision

  • ›Proposed Nomination: 'The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions'
  • ›UNESCO List Target: Intangible Cultural Heritage List
  • ›Target this Data: UNESCO's limit of 'two dossiers per country per two-year cycle'.
  • ›Target this Nodal Body: 'Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA)' as the nodal agency for UNESCO nominations.
  • ›Target this Historical Link: 'Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang)' and his 7th-century travelogue 'The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions'.

Mastered this topic? Test your knowledge with a full MCQ quiz.

Practice exam-style questions, track your score, and strengthen your recall.

1Static LinkageEasy

As per the article, which institution is the Indian government's nodal agency for preparing and presenting UNESCO nominations?

2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements regarding the news:

1. The joint India-China UNESCO nomination is for the 'Memory of the World Programme'.

2. The proposal aims to bypass UNESCO's rule allowing only one dossier per country every five years.

3. A similar conflict between India and China occurred in 2017 over the nomination of Sowa-Rigpa.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

3Data-centricMedium

According to the UNESCO rules mentioned in the article, how many dossiers is each country allowed to file during a two-year cycle for its heritage lists?

4Application/ImpactMedium

What is the primary strategic objective behind BRICS nations pursuing joint UNESCO nominations, as discussed in the article?

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