World Heritage Preservation in China 中国世界遗产的保护

 With changes taking place in social and economic conditions, a growing number of ancient ethnic traditions, cultures, customs, modes of living, and environments are suffering from increasingly serious threats of destruction. It is harmful not only to unique and precious cultural heritage but also to the historical, social, and psychological dignity of local nationalities.

On November 16, 1972, the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ① at its 17th session adopted the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage②. In 1976, UNESCO set up the World Heritage Committee③, an inter-governmental cooperative body, under the convention. The committee is responsible for including cultural and natural treasures of outstanding universal value on the World Heritage List.

World heritage is divided into three types: natural, cultural and the combination of natural and cultural heritage. All sites on the World Heritage List receive financial and technical aid. In the meantime, they become better known worldwide and are protected by pressure from the international community.

Nomination and inclusion of natural and cultural properties on the World Heritage List is nonetheless the final goal of world heritage work. World Heritage conservation is a continuous process. Listing a site does little good if it subsequently falls into a state of disrepair or if a development project risks destroying the qualities that made the site suitable for World Heritage status in the first place. The final goal of highlighting those most valuable representatives and carriers of information and beauty throughout history and in our natural environment arouses mankind’s attention to protect and preserve them for future generations. 

Since joining the International Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1985, China has 47 world heritage sites up to 2014; of these 33 are cultural heritage sites( such as the Great Wall, Mogao Grottoes, Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, etc.), ten are natural heritage sites(such as Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area, etc.), and four are cultural and natural (mixed) sites(such as Mount Taishan, Mount Huangshan, etc.), the number of heritage sites ranking second in the world. In addition, China has a rich non-material cultural heritage, with several of them inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Tong Mingkang, deputy director-general of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said that there are four characteristics for China’s world heritage sites. Firstly, they are various, almost including all varieties in the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Secondly, they are widespread, involving plains, mountainous areas, deserts, islands, and plateaus. Thirdly, they range over a vast time span, with the time span between the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian and the Diaolou in Kaiping exceeding 500,000 years. Fourthly, they are multicultural, including both heritage sites with Han culture and that of ethnic culture.

Chinese wisdom is needed to publicize these world cultural heritage sites. The Chinese government poured great efforts into the world heritages. For example, the Chinese financial department set up special funds for the world cultural heritage protection and the National Department and Reform Committee increased the investment to protect the major world heritage facilities of China.

Abridged and revised from

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/world-heritage/

Notes:

① UNESCO: 联合国教科文组织, 该组织1946年11月6日成立，总部设在法国巴黎。其宗旨是促进教育、科学及文化方面的国际合作，以利于各国人民之间的相互了解，维护世界和平。

②Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage: 《保护世界文化和自然遗产公约》（简称“世界遗产公约”）,于1972年11月16日在联合国教科文组织大会第17届会议上通过。公约主要规定了文化遗产和自然遗产的定义，文化和自然遗产的国家保护和国际保护措施等条款。

③The World Heritage Committee: 世界遗产委员会, 成立于1976年11月，由21名成员组成，负责《保护世界文化和自然遗产公约》的实施。委员会每年召开一次会议，主要决定哪些遗产可以录入《世界遗产名录》，对已列入名录的世界遗产的保护工作进行监督指导。