NANJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese public has backed a suggestion by a scholar to have the Spring Festival listed as a world intangible cultural heritage as part of efforts to prevent the festive atmosphere from fizzling out.

Chen Jing, a folklore expert with Nanjing University in east China's Jiangsu Province, has urged the government to start the application as China increasingly exposes itself to foreign cultures.

"By applying for the heritage, we can investigate, record and publicize festival-related folk arts across the country," he said.

Chen's suggestion was backed by thousands of netizens, who agreed that the glamor of traditional festivals has been undermined and needs reviving.