The Endurance of Chinese Charm

The world cultural heritage list is comprised of cultural resources of universal value, and deep and significant meaning to mankind and is therefore part of a global treasury. The world cultural heritage sites in China are representative of the ancient history and fascinating civilization of the country. As more of these virtual calling cards make the list and more is known about them, people around the world are becoming more curious about Chinese culture.

Thus far, China has successfully entered 41 items into the global pool, next only to Italy and Spain. Of them, 29 are cultural, eight are natural, and four are mix heritages.

China is a unified multi-ethnic country with the Han making up the largest ethnic group. Intangible cultural heritage represents the special ways of life, arts and production methods of the country, and make up the national character and aesthetics. Precisely because they are intangible, their existence is fragile, so these elements rely now on timely discovery and deliberate protection methods. The Law of the People's Republic of China on Intangible Cultural Heritage came into force on June 1, 2011, aiming to protect a large number of these arts scattered across the country.

Being one of the world's four ancient civilizations and boasting 5,000 years of history, China is home to many wonderful cultural phenomena. With the country on the economic fast-track there is an urgency to explore traditional culture, so that future generations of Chinese can benefit from a well-preserved artistic and scientific heritage that can take its place among the diverse cultures of the world. China has been working hard in this regard, making a huge investment to identify those who carry the knowledge of particular rituals, processes, dances and so on. To record and preserve instances of living culture China has overcome many technical problems and used technology creatively, establishing and improving legislation and legal systems and protection mechanisms to balance economic development and cultural preservation.

The West Lake Cultural Landscape made the world heritage list at the 35th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee on June 24.

World Cultural Heritage Protection in China

By staff reporter JIAO FENG

Scientists applied geological radar detection techniques to check the general condition of the Leshan Giant Buddha in June 2006.

ON June 24, at the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Paris, the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The West Lake is the only lake in China and one of the few lakes in the world that was declared world cultural heritage.

The West Lake Cultural Landscape is a crown with six jewels – the West Lake, the hills surrounding its three sides, two causeways and three artificial islands, 10 poetically named scenic places, numerous temples, pagodas, pavilions and gardens around the lake, and ornamental trees.

The World Heritage Committee spoke highly of the West Lake as an extraordinary model of cultural landscape, which clearly reflects Chinese philosophy and aesthetics and stands as a profound inspiration for the art of park design in China and abroad.

Since the Hangzhou municipal government bid for world heritage status in 1999, it has instituted certain comprehensive protections, one of which was to expand the area of the site. Rivers have been introduced to the lake, completely replacing its water content each month. The surrounding cultural scenic spots are free to visitors.

Applying to get on the prestigious list has enhanced protection for the West Lake, as with other sites.

Promoting Cultural Heritage Protection

The process of becoming China's calling card isn't always simple. An official of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage advised Shaolin Temple in Henan Province that before applying for world heritage status it should remove the layer of commercial stalls and vendors on its periphery. The local government responded, restoring the thousand-year-old temple to the peaceful setting it likely had in ancient times. The same process benefitted Mount Wutai of Shanxi Province, where 21 companies, three villages and a host of restaurants and shops in a 100,000-square-meter area were relocated. Creating better sightlines to the mountain was a move supported by both residents and monks.

The Grand Canal system is one of the oldest in the world and has been in continuous use since its creation. Connecting Hangzhou in the south and Beijing in the north, the canal runs through the richest and most populous area in China. Called the "corridor of ancient civilization," it preserves a large quantity of historical relics which are of enormous use in the study of ancient politics, economy, culture and society. The functional purposes of the canal have gradually declined, along with its authenticity and integrity. In 2006, 58 members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) jointly called for rescue protection for the system and for the timely application for world heritage status. In the following years, 18 cities along the canal launched repair and assessment procedures on their segments, as well as deliberate surveying for cultural relics.

"World heritage, as an advanced idea, is spread and accepted in China," said Tong Mingkang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. All levels of government started to attach greater importance to cultural preservation, and people are following suit. Bidding for world heritage status has effectively promoted comprehensive protection for the candidate sites and enhanced management of the environment, tourism and economic development.

Technological Approaches Improved

The world cultural heritage sites in China can be classified into ancient architecture, tombs, ruins, caves and temples, towns and villages, and cultural landscapes. However, natural erosion, human vandalism and the pressure of China's ongoing industrialization make it difficult to protect the country's heritage sites and their surroundings.

In the last decade the Chinese government has launched a series of major protection projects renovating the Potala Palace and historical buildings of Norbu Lingka in Lhasa, and the Imperial Palace in Beijing; and now the Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi are undergoing preliminary surveys. Others include the repair of a section of the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan Pass in Hebei and the ancient city wall of Pingyao in Shanxi. Protection of religious heritage involves rescue and protection for the Thousand-handed Bodhisattva in Dazu County, Chongqing Municipality, the ancient murals of Dunhuang Grottoes in Gansu Province and controlling desertification in the surrounding area. All the projects deploy state-of-the-art technologies.

The 71-meter-high Leshan Giant Buddha is one of the four "mixed" world heritage sites in China. The 1,200-year-old stone statue was already significantly weathered when it came under protection. Several major maintenance efforts have been made since the early 20th century, but the effect is not obvious. Regarding its current situation, experts are focusing on anti-weathering technologies for rock sculptures, biological violations and bio-weathering, and the information system on tourism resources development and management. Their research will unveil the mysteries of physical, chemical and biological weathering in Jurassic cretaceous formations, which is expected to effectively protect the Giant Buddha as well as contribute significantly to China's research expertise in this field.

The Internet of Things is a new concept adopted for protection and management. It is a virtual assembly of cultural objects that are monitored through the Internet with special sensing devices, making it possible to manage information about their condition and environment online. During the Shanghai Expo in 2010, the China Pavilion exhibited bronze chariots and horses from the museum of Qinshihuang. The new technology allows the staff, while thousands of miles away from any exhibition site, to read real-time information on things like air temperature, humidity and visitor presence, and then to make necessary adjustments immediately.

As for the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, protection remains a problem due to the ravages of time and the huge areas they both cover. In April 2010, "the application of spatial information technology to large sites protection" was approved. The project integrates a geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS), Global Positioning System (GPS), virtual reality system (VR) with research done in the fields of archeology, philology and the history of science, to provide important support to the management, research, monitoring and presentation of large relic sites.

According to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, advanced technology has been protecting many other world heritage sites in China. Atmospheric monitors were installed in Jiuzhaigou Valley and the Imperial Palace, allowing experts to track air quality at any time.

Deepening International Exchange and Cooperation

Since 2000 China has held several important international conferences on heritage protection, such as the 28th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Suzhou, the 15th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in Xi'an, and the 22nd General Conference of the ICOM in Shanghai.

Some international organizations engaged in heritage protection have set up branches in China to take related routine work. In 2005 the ICOMOS, an important professional consultancy of the UN, set up ICOMOS International Conservation Centre in Xi' an, which is in charge of collecting and organizing materials on world heritage candidates and providing consulting, training management and legal counsel. All this has deepened the exchange and cooperation between China and international organizations and related countries.

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China held a series of high-level international conferences on related issues, including the International Symposium on the Concepts and Practices of Conservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings in East Asia, International Seminar on Painted Surfaces on Wooden Structures in East Asia and International Conference on Sustainable Tourism at Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites.

To ensure these symposiums were a success, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage maintained close cooperation with intergovernmental organizations and foreign countries like UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS, the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities of Australia.

Chinese cultural heritage departments established close and long-term cooperation with foreign counterparts to learn from their experience. Meanwhile, Asian heritage restoration and protection are also on European reading lists. A series of international documents were drafted at these symposiums, including Beijing Document on the Conservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings in East Asia, Beijing Memorandum on the Conservation of Caihua in East Asia, and the draft of Development Standards for Sustainable Tourism at Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites.

The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Qinshihuang) is best known for the unearthed terracotta warriors. These warriors were mostly damaged or broken when unearthed, and the original paint oxidized when exposed to the air. The protection and restoration of the painted warriors, it was determined, would require precise experiments and sophisticated chemical analysis. Since the 1980s, German experts have been working together with Chinese professionals to restore the painted surface of these pottery warriors and conduct research on the lost materials and process. Their findings have been used for the preservation of the warriors.

The Mogao Grottoes are known for their exquisite murals and painted sculptures. However, in the last 1,000 years the murals have succumbed to wind damage and rain erosion, possibly aspects of climate change. In 1988 the Dunhuang Academy and the Getty Research Institute of the United States started their cooperation which continues today, using the latest technologies and concepts to protect the grottoes. In 2010 Dunhuang Academy and Microsoft Research Asia introduced a 100 megapixel digital camera to collect digitalized information about the murals. Through various forms of cooperation China has garnered useful experience from abroad, and also promoted Chinese culture worldwide.

The number of world heritage sites in a country does reflect the brilliance of its history, but also the nature of a people, how advanced their civilization is, and how comprehensive and strong its nationhood is. China's world heritage contributions are the root and resource of this nation's spirit and culture. World diversity owes much to this country.