National treasure

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The idea of National Treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of Romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology which supports the nation as the fundamental unit of human social life, which includes shared language, values and culture. Thus national treasure, part of the ideology of nationalism, is shared culture.

National treasure can be a shared cultural asset, which may or may not have monetary value, such as a skilled banjo player would be a Living National Treasure. Or it may refer to a rare cultural object, such as the medieval manuscript Plan of St. Gall in Switzerland. The government of Japan designates the most famous of the nation's cultural properties as national treasures of Japan, while the national treasures of Korea are a numbered set of artifacts, sites, and buildings which are recognized by South Korea as having exceptional cultural value.

National treasure can be taken more literally and signify the actual monetary worth of a nation. For example, going to war can cost national treasure.

[edit] Notable national treasures

There are thousands of national treasures around the world. Listed here are a representative sample of the different types of things that can be national treasure:

• People
  • Lalo Guerrero was declared a national treasure by the Smithsonian Institution in 1980.
  • After the Brazilian football (soccer) team won the 1962 FIFA World Cup, wealthy European clubs offered massive fees to sign the young player, Pelé, but the government of Brazil declared him an official national treasure to prevent him from being transferred out of the country.
  • Terry Wogan in the UK and in the Republic of Ireland

• Places
  • Hōryū-ji temple in Japan.
• Cultural artifacts
  • The Fairy Queen in India.
  • The Declaration of Independence for the United States.
  • Stonehenge in England
• Geographic features
  • The Constitution of Greece of 2001 declared that the Greek coastline is a national treasure (see Patras).
  • The United States National Park System is considered to be a national treasure.
• Music
  • In 1997, the United States Library of Congress recognized the song "Truckin'" by the rock band The Grateful Dead as a national treasure of the United States.^[1]
  • Andy Williams's voice was declared a national treasure by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
• Animal
  • Panda in China

[edit] References