首爾的宗廟是朝鮮王朝供奉歷代先祖所在，在宗廟舉行的祭饗儀式，規模盛大，又稱宗廟大祭，祭祀時所演奏的樂曲和表演的歌舞，則稱為宗廟祭禮樂。宗廟祭禮樂源於中國儒教儀禮，世宗（r. 1419–1450）時本由朴堧考據古書而定，世祖（r. 1469–1494）時又經修正，改以「保太平」及「定大業」為主要旋律，代代傳承。 1962年，南韓官方推動文化遺產保存，宗廟祭禮樂是首項獲指定的無形文化財，自日據朝鮮後定位不明的宗廟祭禮，也自此後正式公開舉辦，於每年五月第一個星期日由王室後裔主祭，至今不懈。在聯合國教科文組織彰顯具普世價值的文化遺產各式名單中，宗廟及宗廟祭禮╱樂分別列名於世界遺產（World Heritage）及人類口述與無形遺產傑作（Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity），而包括世宗實錄等記載歷代君王史實的「朝鮮王朝實錄」則獲登記為世界記憶遺產（Memory of the World Register）。　　無形文化遺產指的是由知識、技術或信仰所衍生的總合表現，在保存的運作上，主要關注傳承與紀錄。宗廟祭禮樂，因為原始場域及書面紀錄，一併獲得保存，能夠依其有形具體架構進行，藉由公開定時演練，不但可以確保被記得，而且是「正確」的被記得（remembered correctly）。但即使是在建物及史料等有形文化表現的明確框架下，當代社群的參與，仍然重構了禮樂的意義。在無形文化資遺產保存的討論中，有形文化表現究竟是原初條件（original condition）的依歸，亦或是釋放創造力的後盾？本文試圖以韓國宗廟祭禮樂為例，檢視文化流動生成時，有形脈絡所扮演的特殊角色。

Jongmyo, Seoul, the oldest Confucian imperial shrine preserved, is dedicated to the forefathers of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Ritual ceremonies called Jongmyo Jerye were held five times a year here to pay tributes to the royal ancestors, and were deemed one of the most important rites for a state to perform. The accompanying Jongmyo Jeryeak music/dance performance was therefore understandably solemn and elaborate. During the Sejong’s reign (r. 1419–1450), official Pak Yon attempted to reconstruct the ancient Chinese form of Jongmyo Jeryeak, but later on, Sejo (r. 1469–1494) decided to adopt two suites of music/dance, “Botaepyeong” and “Jeongdaeeop,” as the new Jongmyo Jeryeak, and the practice lasted through all the succeeding generations. In 1962, Jongmyo Jeryeak became the first designated Important Intangible Cultural Property in the Republic of Korea, and since the 70s, the ceremony has been reinstated and held on the first Sunday of May, an open event that sees thousands of spectators lining the streets and the quiet sanctuary to celebrate. Internationally, Jongymo and the Annuals of Joseon were designated as World Heritage in 1995 and World Memory in 1997 respectively. In 2001, Jongmyo Jerye and Jongmyo Jeryeak were jointly proclaimed as Masterpiece of Human Oral and Intangible Heritage. Intangible cultural heritage refers to the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills that people recognize as part of their cultural heritage. Its safeguarding requires taking community of practitioners and documentation into careful consideration. Thanks to the preservation of Jongmyo and the Annals, the original place and documentation, Jongmyo Jeryeak today can still be performed according to its “original form.” The tangible context not only helps the intangible music/dance to be remembered, but to be “remembered correctly.” However, we must also point out that, even with the physical framework relatively intact, the meaning of Jongmyo Jeryeak inevitably changes as newer shareholders come into the picture. Will the tangible context “fossilize” the intangible cultural heritage and confine it to the “original form” or “authenticity”? Or will tangible context act as the detailed archive that allows intangible cultural heritage to constantly be recreated without forgetting its earlier form? The aim of this paper is to examine the case of Jongmyo Jeryeak and discuss the role that tangible context plays in the fluidity of culture.