International Heritage News
01
The School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University Participates in the 2024 Joint Archaeological Work at the World Heritage Site of the Historic City of Bukhara, Uzbekistan
From April 27 to June 30, the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University, together with the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology of Uzbekistan and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World of New York University, carried out archaeological excavations in the inner city of the historic city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. This excavation has basically clarified the boundaries and expansion process of the inner city of Bukhara, the different construction stages of the city walls, and the characteristics of early residential remains at the site.
The Bukhara oasis has been an important node of the Silk Road since ancient times. The historic city of Bukhara is also one of the best-preserved city sites in Central Asia and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1993. The remains within the inner city of Bukhara are very rich, including house remains, city walls, pottery kilns, and water conservancy facilities from around the Common Era to the Islamic period, and they possess high archaeological value.
Image and text source: School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University
02
International Exchange Activity “Youth and Traditional Construction Techniques” Held in Suzhou
From July 15 to 16, the international exchange activity “Youth and Traditional Construction Techniques,” jointly organized by UNESCO and the Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, and undertaken by the UNESCO East Asia Office, Suzhou Gardening and Greening Administration Bureau, and the UNESCO Asia-Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Center (Suzhou Center), was held at the Suzhou Conference Center.
This two-day event mainly focused on the close relationship between youth empowerment and the protection of traditional construction techniques. Participants gained an in-depth understanding of Suzhou’s practical explorations in promoting traditional craftsmanship and cultural heritage protection by visiting exhibitions of outstanding youth and traditional craft cases and inspecting the “Xiangshan Gang” training base.
Image and text source: UNESCO
03
The 46th World Heritage Committee Session Concludes in New Delhi, India; 26 Heritage Sites Added to the UNESCO World Heritage List
From July 21 to 31, the 46th World Heritage Committee session was held in New Delhi, India. The World Heritage Committee inscribed 26 new cultural and natural heritage sites onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Nauru formally ratified the World Heritage Convention, becoming the 196th State Party to the Convention. In addition, China’s nominations submitted in 2020 and 2022—the Badain Jaran Desert (sand dunes and lake cluster) and the Yellow (Bohai) Sea migratory bird habitat (Phase II)—successfully passed the review of the Heritage Committee and were inscribed on the World Heritage List.
At present, China has 15 World Natural Heritage sites and 4 mixed cultural and natural heritage sites, and continues to rank first in the world in the total number of World Natural Heritage sites.
Image and text source: UNESCO
04
The 2024 “Global World Heritage Education Innovation Case Award” Announced at the 46th World Heritage Committee Session
On July 23, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Center (WHITRAP) successfully held a side event titled “Technology, Creativity, and Empowerment—World Heritage Education for the Future” at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi during the 46th World Heritage Committee session.
At the event, the winners of the 2024 “Global World Heritage Education Innovation Case Award” (AWHEIC) were announced, and outstanding cases were shared globally. The meeting was jointly organized by the Asia-Pacific Heritage Center and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), adopting a combination of offline and online formats. Important guests from various countries, representatives of World Heritage Category II centers, and some AWHEIC award-winning representatives were invited to attend.
Image and text source: UNESCO
05
Online Promotion Session for the 2024 “Belt and Road” Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum
On August 16, the online promotion session for the 2024 “Belt and Road” Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum (IYF) was successfully held. The purpose of this promotion session was to introduce the original intention and background of the forum to applicant youth.
More than 200 young people from around the world participated in this promotion session, having passed the preliminary selection from more than 1,300 applicants for the 2024 IYF.
Image and text source: UNESCO
Domestic Heritage News
01
International Academic Symposium on Biodeterioration and Protection of Cultural Relics Held
From June 21 to 23, the International Academic Symposium on Biodeterioration and Protection of Cultural Relics was held in Dunhuang, Gansu. The symposium was organized by the Dunhuang Academy, Lanzhou University, Guangdong Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, and the International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Society.
The aim was to promote the development and technological progress of disciplines related to biodeterioration and protection of cultural relics, promote international cooperation, and provide new concepts, methods, and technologies for cultural heritage protection. During the symposium, experts and scholars from related fields at home and abroad conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as mechanisms of biodeterioration and erosion of cultural relics, monitoring and prevention of biological damage, and the application of biotechnology in cultural heritage protection.
Image and text source: National Cultural Heritage Administration
02
Experience Exchange Meeting on Public Interest Litigation for the Protection of the Grand Canal World Cultural Heritage Held
On July 3, an experience exchange meeting on public interest litigation for the protection of the Grand Canal World Cultural Heritage was held in Hangzhou. Procuratorial organs from eight provinces and municipalities along the canal jointly discussed the practice of public interest litigation for the protection of the Grand Canal.
In recent years, procuratorial organs along the Grand Canal have used case handling as a starting point, giving full play to the supervisory, collaborative, and accountability functions of public interest litigation. They have promoted systematic, coordinated, and source-based governance of the Grand Canal basin, achieving simultaneous progress in “protection and governance.” Through proactive, integrated, and comprehensive performance of duties, they have helped ensure that the natural and cultural landscapes of the World Cultural Heritage site complement each other, achieving remarkable results in addressing issues such as damage to cultural relics, illegal construction, and environmental pollution along the canal.
Image and text source: National Cultural Heritage Administration
03
2024 Cultural Heritage Protection Joint Workshop and 2024 Outstanding High School Students Summer Program (Archaeology) Successfully
Concluded
From July 14 to July 20, the 2024 Outstanding High School Students Summer Program (Archaeology) of Peking University was successfully carried out. It was organized by the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Center (Beijing), and the Anxi Teaching and Research Base of the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University, co-organized by the Anxi County Museum and the Peking University Public Archaeology and Art Research Center, and supported by the Quanzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism and the Anxi County Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Participating students, together with archaeological experts, went to World Heritage sites in Quanzhou (such as Kaiyuan Temple), Anxi Confucian Temple, Qingyang Xiacaopu Site, Qingshuiyan, and other locations to carry out archaeological excavation practice, gaining an in-depth understanding of archaeological methods and disciplinary characteristics.
On August 2, the 2024 Cultural Heritage Protection Joint Workshop Peking University Summer Course, jointly organized by the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Beijing Center, and the Peking University Public Archaeology and Art Center, successfully concluded in Gansu.
Over ten days, participants gained an in-depth understanding of the cultural resources and cultural and creative industries in seven districts across four cities: Ganzhou District of Zhangye City; Qin’an County and Maiji District of Tianshui City; Tongwei County and Lintao County of Dingxi City; and Wudu District and Cheng County of Longnan City.
Under the guidance of workshop instructors, participants produced research reports of over ten thousand words with rich images and texts, exploring from multiple dimensions—such as cultural resources, driving factors, benefit evaluation, and key issues—the contribution of heritage within the framework of cultural and creative industries to the development of local cultural tourism and cultural competitiveness.
Image and text source: Peking University Cultural Heritage Research; School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University
04
2024 International Forum on Digitalization of Cultural Heritage Protection Held
From July 16 to 19, the 2024 International Forum on Digitalization of Cultural Heritage Protection was held in Beijing. With the theme “Reshaping: New Quality Productive Forces of Digital Heritage,” the forum was jointly organized by Tsinghua University, the People’s Government of Haidian District of Beijing, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) International Scientific Committee on Digital Heritage.
The forum featured multiple thematic sessions, including historic towns, artificial intelligence, digital grotto temples, archaeological sites, the “Three Hills and Five Gardens,” and the Civilization Partnership Program—Sanxingdui. More than 300 representatives from 20 countries and regions attended. Over 100 professional reports and case studies covering 14 fields—including artificial intelligence, spatial information technology, 3D modeling, and heritage conservation ethics—were released during the forum.
Image and text source: National Cultural Heritage Administration
05
2024 International Forum on Grotto Temple Protection Held
On August 19, in order to implement the important speeches and recent instructions on strengthening the protection, inheritance, and utilization of cultural and natural heritage, the “2024 International Forum on Grotto Temple Protection,” hosted by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, was held in Dunhuang, Gansu.
During the forum, experts in grotto temple conservation and research from 16 countries focused on the theme “Promoting ‘Silk Road Culture’ Exchange and Supporting the Construction of the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative,” and conducted discussions across three sub-forums: conservation concepts and technologies, archaeology and value interpretation, and management and capacity building. The forum further consolidated consensus and gathered collective wisdom to promote deeper and more practical Silk Road cultural exchange.
Image and text source: National Cultural Heritage Administration
06
China–Africa–UNESCO Dialogue on Cooperation in Education and Cultural Heritage Protection Held
In September, the China–Africa–UNESCO Dialogue on Cooperation in Education and Cultural Heritage Protection was held in Beijing. The meeting was jointly organized by the Chinese government and UNESCO and released the “Action Initiative for China–Africa Cooperation in Education and Cultural Heritage Protection.”
The meeting emphasized that China is willing to work with African partners and UNESCO to expand and deepen cooperation in education, promote cultural exchange and mutual learning, and support joint modernization and the building of an all-weather community with a shared future in the new era.
Efforts will be made to strengthen cultural heritage protection, deepen cooperation in archaeology, conservation and restoration of monuments and sites, professional talent training, and capacity building, jointly combat illicit trafficking of cultural property, establish mutual cultural exchange centers, and organize cultural and art exhibitions. China will also cooperate with UNESCO to establish a heritage protection trust fund project to help Africa enhance its capacity for cultural heritage protection.
Image and text source: National Cultural Heritage Administration
