Abstract: ［Purpose/Significance］This paper intends to explore the role of public cultural institutions and clarify the subject of intangible cultural heritage protection. ［Design/Methodology］By exploring the legal texts, 37 pieces of statutes about intangible cultural heritage in China have been selected as analytic targets, and the responsibilities, scopes, and objects of public cultural institutions in the protection of intangible cultural heritage mentioned in these statutes have been explored.［Findings/Conclusion］It has been found that public cultural institutions in China are involved in the protection of intangiblecultural heritage in several dimensions including exhibition, dissemination, research, collection, collation and academic communication; museums, libraries, and cultural centers are playing important roles in intangible cultural heritage protection, and a broader institutional framework of intangible cultural heritage protection is being formed; various classifications of objects for intangible cultural heritage protection have emerged as a result of regional disparities.［Originality/Value］The feasible approaches have been proposed for the participation of public cultural institutions in intangible cultural heritage protection in the aspects of function matching, scope and supervisory mechanism.

Key words: Intangible cultural heritage, Public cultural institution, Statute, Intangible cultural heritage protection chain