International Heritage News
01
Flag-Raising Ceremony Held in Paris for the United States’ Return to UNESCO
A flag-raising ceremony marking the United States’ return to UNESCO was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The ceremony symbolized the United States’ renewed commitment to global cooperation in education, culture, and science. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden attended the ceremony, officially marking the United States as the organization’s 194th member state.
Also attending the ceremony were Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron; U.S. Ambassador to France Denise Bauer; UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Esther Coopersmith; French Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal; and French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak.
UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation Forest Whitaker praised the spirit of achieving peace through education, stating that such goals would be impossible without UNESCO.
Director-General Audrey Azoulay stated that the United States’ formal return to UNESCO was “excellent news,” adding that UNESCO’s actions around the world would become even stronger.
Source of text and images: www.unesco.org
02
UNESCO Hosts 2023 Heritage Conservation and Innovation Symposium in Hong Kong
UNESCO and New World Development Company jointly held the 2023 Heritage Conservation and Innovation Symposium at the University of Hong Kong in June. Government officials, experts, and scholars were invited to share experiences in heritage conservation. More than a thousand participants attended both online and offline.
UNESCO representative Jing Feng emphasized that urban heritage has faced increasing pressure in recent decades. These pressures affect not only the physical fabric of historic cities but also intangible dimensions.
The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation have played a key role in promoting sustainable urban, social, and environmental well-being through cultural heritage.
Source of text and images: International Heritage Observer
03
UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund Supports Activities in Central Asia
UNESCO will support emergency preparedness activities in Central Asia through its Heritage Emergency Fund. This support provides a timely opportunity to respond to threats and strengthen cultural emergency preparedness and management systems for World Heritage sites, museums, and other heritage institutions in Central Asian countries.
The main focus of the initiative, implemented by UNESCO’s Almaty Multisectoral Regional Office, is to strengthen the disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness capacities of World Heritage site managers across Central Asia.
Source of text and images: www.unesco.org
04
Over 100 Heritage Managers from 63 Countries Discussed #TheNext50 at WHSMF
In mid-June 2023, the ICCROM-IUCN World Heritage Leadership Programme, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia, represented by its Heritage Commission and in collaboration with ICOMOS, launched the fifth World Heritage Site Managers’ Forum.
The online component of the forum, held from June to July, brought together more than 100 World Heritage managers from 63 countries.
Following last year’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, this year’s forum reviewed implementation over the past fifty years and considered what will be needed to manage and protect World Heritage over the next fifty years.
In September, the forum will convene in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, alongside the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee.
Between now and September, participants will prepare an official forum statement outlining the challenges, needs, and opportunities they collectively identified. The statement will be submitted to the World Heritage Committee before discussions on the state of conservation of World Heritage sites.
Source of text and images: www.iccrom.org
05
Hong Kong Wins Best Delegation Award at UNESCO Model World Heritage Conference in Almaty
The Kazakhstan Federation of UNESCO Clubs hosted the second Model World Heritage Conference in Almaty. Thirty-four youth delegates from 20 countries and regions participated, sharing knowledge and skills related to World Heritage. Hong Kong received the Best Delegation Award.
The event aimed to strengthen global dialogue and knowledge exchange among youth on UNESCO priority areas.
Amir Pirich, Executive Director of the UNESCO Almaty Office, stated that young experts would help Central Asian state parties advance World Heritage management, conservation, promotion, and new heritage nominations.
Source of text and images: International Heritage Observer
Domestic Heritage News
01
Evaluation Results Released for the 45th World Heritage Committee Nominations; Jingmai Mountain Recommended
On June 19, the World Heritage Centre updated part of the documentation for the upcoming 45th World Heritage Committee session, which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 10–25.
Among the most closely watched documents were the advisory bodies’ evaluation results for this year’s nomination projects, including projects originally scheduled for 2022 but postponed due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as projects already scheduled for 2023.
Although evaluation results do not completely determine final inscription outcomes, the 21 member states of the World Heritage Committee generally place significant weight on advisory recommendations. If a project is recommended for inscription, its chances of successful inscription become very high.
China’s 2022 nomination, “The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er,” successfully completed ICOMOS field evaluation last September and therefore qualified for this year’s session.
Meeting documents show that ICOMOS recommended inscription without reservation under criteria (iii) and (v). This means that, barring unexpected developments, the Jingmai Mountain project is expected to pass at the World Heritage Committee session, becoming China’s 57th World Heritage property and Yunnan Province’s sixth.
Source of text and images: Love World Heritage
02
2023 Joint Workshop on Cultural Heritage Conservation – Peking University Summer Course Opens in Chongqing
On July 24, 2023, the 2023 Joint Workshop on Cultural Heritage Conservation – Peking University Summer Course officially opened at Diaoyu City in Hechuan District, Chongqing.
The workshop was jointly organized by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre for World Heritage Training and Research (Beijing), the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University, and the Peking University Public Archaeology and Art Center.
The workshop received strong support from the Chongqing Association for the Conservation of Ancient Sites and the Diaoyu City Scenic Area Affairs Center of Hechuan District. The opening ceremony was held at the Diaoyu City Scenic Area. Attendees included Yuan Xiaoqin, Deputy District Mayor of Hechuan; Yuan Dongshan, Vice Director of the Chongqing Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and President of the Chongqing Association for the Conservation of Ancient Sites; Yang Jianchun, Director of the Diaoyu City Scenic Area Affairs Center; Fu Zhaonan, Director of the Diaoyu City World Heritage Application Office; and Hu Limin of the Chongqing Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
The workshop included a ten-day field investigation at the Diaoyu City site.
Source of text and images: WHITRAP-BEIJING
03
Peking University 2023 Summer Archaeology Program for Outstanding High School Students Successfully Held in Anxi, Fujian
From July 16–22, 2023, Peking University’s Summer Archaeology Program for Outstanding High School Students was successfully held in Anxi, Fujian.
The program was led by Shen Ruiwen, Dean of the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University. Nearly thirty faculty members and students participated in organizing the program, while more than one hundred high school students from across China attended.
During five intensive days of study and practice, students attended lectures by scholars from different fields and gained their first introduction to archaeology. Through field visits, they also experienced the historical prosperity of Quanzhou during the Song and Yuan dynasties as a world maritime trade center.
Source of text and images: School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University
04
2023 China Internet Civilization Conference Digital Culture and Tourism Forum Held in Xiamen
On July 19, the Digital Culture and Tourism Development Forum of the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference was held in Xiamen.
The forum’s theme was “Digital Connections Across Time and Space, Networks Linking the World,” aiming to gather ideas and resources for the development of China’s digital culture and tourism industries and support the construction of internet civilization in the new era.
Speakers included Wang Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum; Wang Jinfu, Vice Governor of Fujian Province; and Gao Anming, Deputy Director and Editor-in-Chief of China International Communications Group.
Other participants included Ren Xianliang, Secretary-General of the World Internet Conference and President of the China Federation of Internet Societies, as well as Zhang Jianwei, Executive Vice Director of WHITRAP Beijing and Vice Dean of Peking University’s School of Archaeology and Museology.
At the forum, participants delivered keynote speeches on topics such as “Digital Technology Revitalizing Chinese Culture,” “Safeguarding and Inheriting Culture,” and “Digitalization and Application of the Mogao Caves.” Professor Zhang Jianwei joined discussions on “Cultivating the Roots of Cultural Tourism Development Through the Internet.”
The forum also featured several launch ceremonies, including:
·The launch of the Palace Museum’s multilingual website
·The launch of the “Ancient Script Digital Platform” project based on Palace Museum collections
·The launch of the “‘Connected China’ @ Green Living” public service advertisement campaign
Source of text and images: Cyberspace Administration of China
05
Greenpeace Holds Expert Seminar in Beijing for 2023 “The Temperature of Civilization” Cultural Salon
On July 17, the international environmental organization Greenpeace held a cultural salon in Beijing titled The Temperature of Civilization — Assessing the Systemic Impacts of Climate Change on Ecology, Industry, and Cultural Heritage in Northwestern China.
Northwestern China is among the regions most affected by climate change trends. The region’s relatively fragile ecological environment, local industries, and unique material cultural heritage are all experiencing complex impacts from climate change, making climate action increasingly urgent.
Li Guanghan, Assistant Director of WHITRAP Beijing, delivered a presentation titled “Cultural Heritage Conservation and Climate Action from a Global Perspective.” She noted that physical damage to buildings and settlements alters how people interact with heritage sites in daily life, work, religion, and social activities, which in turn changes traditions of maintenance and use.
She also emphasized that ecological benefits gained through protecting natural heritage can help human societies mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.
The event aimed to spread public knowledge about climate change, cultural relic protection, and heritage, increase awareness of climate risks among both the public and policymakers, and promote interdisciplinary academic exchange among professionals.
Source of text and images: Beijing News
Compiled by: Lü Jiaxin
Editors: Lü Jiaxin, Park Lina
Reviewed by: Li Guanghan, Wang Siyu
Final Review: Shen Ruiwen, Zhang Jianwei
