On October 19, 2022, Shen Ruiwen, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and Pacific Region (WHITRAP Beijing) and Dean of the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University, met at the Archaeology Building of Peking University with a visiting delegation led by Ms. Duong Bich Hanh, Culture Programme Officer at the UNESCO Office in China, to discuss future cooperation opportunities.
Participants included Duong Bich Hanh (Culture Programme Officer, UNESCO Office in China), Li Ang (Knowledge Management Consultant, UNESCO Office in China), Shen Ruiwen (Director of WHITRAP Beijing and Dean of the School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University), Zhang Jianwei (Executive Deputy Director of WHITRAP Beijing and Deputy Dean of the School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University), Li Guanghan (Assistant Director of WHITRAP Beijing and Research Fellow at the Research Center for Cultural Heritage Protection, Peking University), and Park Lina (Project Specialist, WHITRAP Beijing).
Group photo of the UNESCO Office in China delegation and WHITRAP Beijing Centre
During the meeting, Zhang Jianwei and Li Guanghan provided a detailed introduction to WHITRAP Beijing’s core work in the fields of cultural landscapes, archaeological sites, and natural heritage. They also presented the Centre’s main activities across four areas: training and education, research and practice, cooperation and exchange, and communication and outreach.
Ms. Duong Bich Hanh expressed high appreciation for the University Network for Heritage in the Asia-Pacific (UN-HAP), initiated by WHITRAP Beijing, and showed strong interest in further collaboration on the Centre’s summer joint workshops.
Meeting between WHITRAP Beijing leadership and the UNESCO Office in China delegation
Ms. Duong Bich Hanh also introduced the mandate of the UNESCO Office in China, which covers UNESCO affairs in five countries: China, North Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and South Korea.
She further shared her experience from the past six years as Head of Culture at the UNESCO Bangkok Office, particularly her work on using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to strengthen the protection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacific region and to promote sustainable tourism development.
UNESCO Office in China delegation led by Ms. Duong Bich Hanh
In 2022, the World Heritage Convention marked its 50th anniversary, and the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China also emphasized the responsibilities and mission of cultural heritage professionals in the new era.
Against this backdrop, Shen Ruiwen, representing WHITRAP Beijing and the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University, discussed potential future cooperation with the UNESCO Office in China.
Both sides agreed on strengthening collaboration in areas such as heritage assessment, talent training, and capacity building for heritage sites.
In addition, Ms. Duong Bich Hanh and Mr. Li Ang proposed incorporating topics such as climate change and heritage value assessment—aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—into future joint projects, with the aim of jointly promoting the sustainable conservation and management of cultural and natural heritage in the Asia-Pacific region.
WHITRAP Beijing and the UNESCO Office in China delegation visiting Peking University
