Cultural officials and experts from Europe and Asia gathered in Beijing yesterday to discuss effective ways of preserving traditional music against the backdrop of globalization.

Globalization has both "good and bad" impacts on the preservation of traditional music, said Ambassador Delfin Colome, executive-director of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).

For example, globalization enables people in different countries to share many precious resources, such as modern technology, in safeguarding traditional music, he said.

"We can have different music, (but there are) no different ways of preserving traditional music," said Colome.

However, globalization, as well as urbanization, has also inevitably resulted in the rapid disappearance of some traditional music, he said yesterday at the opening session of the Asia-Europe Training Program on Preservation of Traditional Music, which will run until this Sunday.

The program was sponsored by ASEF, the Chinese Academy of Arts and the Center of Ethnic and Folk Literature and Arts Development of the Ministry of Culture.

The ASEF, with 15 members from Europe and 10 members from Asia, was established in February 1997 by members of the Asia-Europe Meeting. Its mission is to build bridges between the civil societies of Asia and Europe, by promoting cultural, intellectual and people-to-people exchanges between the two continents.

During the training program, experts and officials will exchange ideas and training methods concerning the values, knowledge, relevant laws and use of new technology for the protection of traditional music.

Zhang Qingshan, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Arts, said that China is a nation well known for the art of etiquette and the art of music, which dates back thousands of years and is of great significance to the Chinese people.

With the globalization of economy, politics, science and technology as well as the rapid change and progress of human society, traditional forms of music are in danger of disappearing, said Zhang, adding China faces big challenges in storing and safeguarding traditional music.

Starting in 1970s, the Chinese Government initiated the unprecedented project of collection, compilation and preservation of ethnic and folk culture by writing the 10-part book, according to Zhou Weizhi, president of the Chinese Federation of Literary and Artistic Circles.

The book is expected to be completed in 2004, said Zhou.

Traditional music -- formulated throughout history by people from different regions, nationalities and ethnic groups -- represents not only the accumulation of the unique collective cultural memory of mankind, but also holds historical evidence of cultural creation.

The practice of oral transmission of traditional music means that these treasures once lost are irretrievable, said Zhang.

(China Daily April 1, 2003)