Recently, the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) announced the results of the 2022 Keck Awards.
After public voting and expert review, the Chinese team’s heritage conservation innovation project, titled “Community Practice for Daily Heritage Inspection and Protection Work in Changping District, Beijing During the Pandemic,” was shortlisted for the finals and ultimately received the Runner-Up award.
The project was jointly carried out by the Beijing Changping District Bureau of Culture and Tourism and Beijing Weiming Cultural Heritage Technology Co., Ltd., with support from the Peking University research team and the UNESCO World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and Pacific Region (WHITRAP Beijing). This also marks the first time a Chinese team has received this biennial heritage conservation award.
The Keck Awards were established by the IIC in 1994 and are presented every two years to recognize professional teams that have made outstanding contributions to promoting public understanding and awareness of heritage conservation. This year’s awards particularly emphasized efforts to improve public engagement with heritage conservation in digital spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cloud-Based Community Heritage Monitoring Project by the Chinese Team
Since 2018, in accordance with Beijing’s cultural heritage reform initiatives, Changping District has introduced technological tools and innovative working methods to strengthen supervision and management of local heritage inspectors through digital cloud-based systems.
The district encouraged community members and heritage protection personnel to participate in daily heritage inspections and preventive conservation through a mobile mini-program called “Cultural Heritage e-Inspection.” The initiative aimed to strengthen risk management for cultural heritage and explore regional preventive conservation mechanisms.
During the pandemic, despite ongoing public health control measures, Changping District organized local heritage inspectors and volunteers to conduct daily or regular inspections using the mobile platform. This enabled the timely discovery, reporting, and handling of risks and safety issues, helping ensure the protection of cultural heritage sites.
The project also served as a practical application of research outcomes related to Beijing’s cultural heritage protection management responsibility system. It became one of the earliest examples in Beijing of normalized, refined daily heritage health management and regional preventive conservation, reflecting the city’s efforts and experimentation in cultural heritage reform and innovation.
The IIC Website Announcing the 2022 Heritage Award Shortlist
Project Introduction Published in the IIC Heritage Conservation Newsletter
As part of the “Heritage and Community Emotional Reconnection” initiative, the project became one of the earliest practical examples in Beijing of regional daily heritage health management and preventive conservation.
The project has continued uninterrupted to the present day. Even during periods of temporary lockdowns in villages and towns during the pandemic, local community heritage inspections and risk management activities were able to continue, demonstrating the adaptability of heritage protection under new community participation models during extraordinary circumstances.
Heritage Management Supported by Digital Technology
Community Training Activities for Heritage Inspection
As the only Chinese project shortlisted for this year’s Keck Awards, the project presentation video was screened during the 29th IIC Wellington Congress (September 5–9) for participants from around the world.
The project showcased innovations and practical achievements in Beijing’s—and China’s—heritage conservation and management efforts. It also reflected the spirit of cultural heritage reform and innovation emphasized by President Xi Jinping, particularly regarding strengthening cultural exchange and enhancing the international influence of Chinese culture. Furthermore, the award demonstrated international recognition of China’s heritage conservation and innovation work.
Readers can click “Read the Original” at the end of the article to learn more about the award-winning project.
Edited by: Qian Meili, Park Lina
Reviewed by: Li Guanghan, Wang Siyu
Final Review by: Shen Ruiwen, Zhang Jianwei
