On July 24, 2024, the 2024 Cultural Heritage Protection Joint Workshop with Peking University Summer Program officially opened in Lanzhou, Gansu Province.
The workshop is jointly organized by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Center (Beijing), the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University, and the Peking University Public Archaeology and Art Center.
This workshop focuses on surveying the cultural resources and cultural and creative industries across seven regions in Gansu Province. Based on the “Culture, Creativity and Cities” (CCC) framework jointly developed by UNESCO and the World Bank, it aims to provide foundational research and propose new ideas and working strategies for formulating policy guidelines for Gansu’s cultural and creative industries.
The workshop is strongly supported by the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Peking University Graduate School’s “Graduate Innovation Program.”
Poster of the 2024 Cultural Heritage Protection Joint Workshop
Previous editions of the workshop
The opening ceremony was held at the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Attendees included Yan Yongqiang, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Department; Zhang Shuyong, Director of the Finance Division and Head of the World Bank Project Office; Liu Donghui, Deputy Director of the Finance Division and Deputy Head of the Project Office; and other project office members.
Also attending were Dr. Yang Bixing, Cultural Programme Specialist at the UNESCO East Asia Multi-sectoral Regional Office; cultural project assistants Li Hangying and Guo Juan; Shen Ruiwen, Dean of the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University and Director of WHITRAP-Beijing; and Zhang Jianwei, Tenured Associate Professor at Peking University and Executive Deputy Director of WHITRAP-Beijing, who joined online.
The ceremony was co-chaired by Yan Yongqiang and Dr. Li Guanghan, Assistant Director of WHITRAP-Beijing.
Opening ceremony
Yan Yongqiang first welcomed the teaching team and all participants. He noted that, as emphasized in national leadership speeches, Gansu is an important birthplace of Chinese civilization, ranking fifth nationwide in cultural resource abundance. It encompasses diverse cultural forms—including ancestral culture, agricultural culture, Silk Road culture, and Yellow River culture—and is rich in cultural heritage sites, earning the reputation of a “treasury of Chinese cultural resources.”
He emphasized that this workshop serves both as a platform to showcase Gansu’s unique cultural assets and as a concrete example of UNESCO’s technical support within World Bank projects. He expressed confidence that it would contribute to the high-quality development of Gansu’s cultural tourism sector and concluded by expressing strong support and expectations for the workshop.
Dr. Yang Bixing from UNESCO highlighted that the workshop’s key task is to implement the CCC framework in the specific context of Gansu. Based on the six enabling factors proposed in the framework, participants are expected to analyze the current situation, opportunities, and challenges of Gansu’s cultural and creative industries.
She noted that Gansu is the first region in the world to apply the CCC framework at the provincial level. She expressed hope that the workshop would generate policy guidance grounded in both theory and fieldwork, contributing to sustainable development in Gansu and offering experience that could be applied across China and globally.
Shen Ruiwen, Dean of the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University and Director of WHITRAP-Beijing, welcomed the participants and thanked the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, local governments, and UNESCO for their support.
He pointed out that Gansu, often regarded as the “golden stretch” of the Silk Road, possesses a long and rich cultural history. He emphasized that the workshop provides a rare practical opportunity for students in related fields and encouraged them to apply their knowledge and creativity to contribute to cultural preservation and innovative development in Gansu.
Zhang Jianwei, Executive Deputy Director of WHITRAP-Beijing, noted that the Cultural Heritage Protection Joint Workshop is a flagship program of the center, and this year marks its seventh edition.
He highlighted Gansu’s rich cultural resources and noted that 25 faculty members and students from 13 universities worldwide are participating. He encouraged participants to study the CCC framework carefully and use it as a guide to understand how cultural heritage resources can be transformed into drivers of development—not only for Gansu, but also as a model for China and the world.
Wang Siyu, Assistant Professor at Peking University, spoke on behalf of the teaching team. Having participated in all seven editions, she emphasized the workshop’s research-oriented and practice-based nature. She highlighted its interdisciplinary approach and commitment to serving local development through fieldwork, encouraging participants to engage with diverse perspectives and collaboratively explore heritage conservation issues.
Zhang Shuyong expressed his appreciation for the participants’ arrival and strongly affirmed the value of the workshop for Gansu’s cultural and tourism development.
Under the theme “Symphony of the Silk Road, Auspicious Gansu,” he introduced Gansu’s cultural and tourism resources from five perspectives:
·A museum of natural wonders
·A cradle of Chinese civilization
·The golden section of the Silk Road
·A showcase of ethnic cultures
·A destination for high-quality tourism
He expressed hope that the workshop would help transform these resources into drivers of development and contribute to Gansu’s goal of becoming a culturally strong province.
Group photo from the opening ceremony
The workshop participants are divided into four groups based on their research areas: Zhangye, Dingxi, Tianshui, and Longnan.
After completing the first phase of online coursework, each group conducted preliminary literature reviews and research preparation under the guidance of instructors and teaching assistants. After one week of preparation, group presentations on preliminary findings were held on the afternoon of July 24.
The presentations proceeded in the order of Zhangye, Tianshui, Dingxi, and Longnan. Guided by the CCC framework, each group reported on six aspects:
·Literature review
·Summary of current cultural resource surveys
·Preliminary analysis of enabling factors
·Design of benefit evaluation indicators
·Assessment of regional tourism and cultural competitiveness
·Key issues for the fieldwork phase
Based on their analysis, each group also proposed evaluation indicators and developed detailed fieldwork plans.
Group presentations
Following the presentations, the instructors provided feedback.
Zhang Shuyong affirmed the preliminary work of all groups and encouraged further research into regional characteristics, with the goal of producing practical and actionable policy recommendations.
Li Guanghan suggested that students refine their research focus, emphasizing the importance of identifying regional uniqueness and using it to generate new insights.
Sun Jing highlighted the need to clarify the logical relationship between cultural resources and enabling factors, encouraging a broader regional perspective rather than isolated case studies, and stressing the importance of policy recommendations.
Wang Shaohan encouraged more expansive thinking and exploration of possibilities, urging students to approach fieldwork with curiosity and critical inquiry.
Wang Siyu emphasized the importance of inter-group communication, deeper understanding of enabling factors, and alignment across teams. She also stressed the need to fully grasp the concept of cultural and creative industries, ensuring that “culture” remains central, and encouraged continuous reflection and adjustment during fieldwork.
Instructor feedback
This year’s workshop brings together 25 faculty members and students from 13 universities worldwide. Over the next ten days, they will conduct field investigations across seven regions: Ganzhou District (Zhangye), Qin’an County and Maiji District (Tianshui), Tongwei County and Lintao County (Dingxi), and Wudu District and Cheng County (Longnan).
The workshop explores how heritage contributes to local tourism and cultural competitiveness within the framework of cultural and creative industries. Participants are also engaged in Gansu’s cultural heritage preservation and innovation initiatives.
Updates on the workshop will be shared through subsequent official releases.
Written by: Lu He, Ma Lerong
Edited by: Ma Lerong, Park Lina
Reviewed by: Li Guanghan, Wang Siyu
Final Review: Shen Ruiwen, Zhang Jianwei
