International Heritage News
01
"Our World Heritage" Foundation to Host Series of Transnational Dialogues
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, the "Our World Heritage" Foundation will host a series of transnational dialogues emphasizing the importance of cultural and natural heritage as integral components of local community life. On August 29, Dialogue 1: "Art, City, and Decoloniality" will feature speakers from China's Macau, Argentina, Kenya, Mexico, and Brazil. On September 21, Dialogue 2: "City, Food, and Heritage" will include a speech by Bandarin. On October 19, Dialogue 3 will focus on "City, Housing, and Heritage."
Source: www.ourworldheritage.org
02
World Heritage in Conflict: Ukraine Expedites Nomination of Odesa for World Heritage Status
As of August 29, UNESCO has verified damage to 183 sites since February 24 — 78 religious sites, 13 museums, 35 historical buildings, 31 buildings dedicated to cultural activities, 17 monuments, and 9 libraries.
The southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, located just tens of kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian war zone, is at risk of Russian artillery attacks. On July 24, part of the glass roof and windows of the Odesa Museum of Fine Arts, completed in 1899, were destroyed by an attack. On August 30, Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko held a working meeting with UNESCO officials at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Tkachenko announced that Ukraine plans to urgently nominate the "Historic Center of Odesa" as a World Heritage site. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay pledged to provide assistance.
Sources: www.unesco.org; Loving World Heritage
03
ICOM 26th General Conference Held in Prague
On August 22, the 26th General Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) opened in Prague. Over 3,000 museum representatives participated for the first time in a hybrid format (online and in-person), discussing the most pressing issues facing the global museum community around the theme "The Power of Museums." The conference also organized 40 domestic cultural and natural heritage excursions.
Source: icom.museum/en/news
04
ICOM 26th General Conference Adopts New Museum Definition
On August 24, a new museum definition was adopted within the framework of the General Conference:
"A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing."
Source: https://icom.museum/en/
05
Southeast Asian Historical Map Platform Launch Event
On August 30, the launch event was held for the Southeast Asian historical map platform jointly developed by Yale-NUS College. The "Digital Historical Maps of Singapore and Southeast Asia" project, funded by the Singapore Ministry of Education's Social Science Research Council, has created an online platform for maps of Southeast Asia from before the 20th century through collaboration between scholars and libraries. In addition to geographical divisions, the platform also categorizes historical maps by theme (postal routes, trains/trams, telephone lines, maritime routes).
Source: www.yale-nus.edu.sg
06
Controversy: Proposed Recreational Project at Zambia-Zimbabwe Victoria Falls Could Lead to Deletion from World Heritage
List
A recently proposed recreational project at Victoria Falls (Zambia-Zimbabwe) has sparked controversy. The project plans to build a 300-bed hotel, leisure facilities, a golf course, and a hydroelectric power station in the heart of the rainforest. UNESCO has warned that this project could lead to the site's deletion from the World Heritage List. The Zimbabwean government appears to have disregarded this warning, even though one of the world's largest waterfalls is already threatened by growing tourist numbers. The project is reportedly part of Zimbabwe's plan to improve domestic energy supply and cultivate a $5 billion tourism market by 2025.
Source: International Heritage Watch
07
Istanbul Basilica Cistern Reopens After Five-Year Restoration
Istanbul's Basilica Cistern reopened to the public last month after a five-year restoration. Located southwest of the Hagia Sophia, the cistern was built in 542 AD and first opened to the public in 1987. The cistern measures 140m long and 70m wide, with 336 stone columns 9m high. Two columns have inverted Medusa heads (supposedly to prevent petrification according to Greek mythology), believed to date from the early 4th century AD, though their original place of manufacture is unknown.
In 2017, due to the threat of earthquakes to this World Heritage site, the municipal government decided to reinforce and renovate the structure. The renovation added a water-level walkway, installed steel rods for the 336 columns, removed cement walls from earlier renovations, improved lighting, and added modern artworks to enhance the cistern's mystical atmosphere.
Source: International Heritage Watch
Domestic Heritage News
01
9th "Museum Expo" Held in Zhengzhou
On the morning of September 1, the opening ceremony of the 9th "Chinese Museums and Related Products and Technologies Expo" (Museum Expo) was held at the Zhengzhou International Conference Center. The event was guided by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the People's Government of Henan Province, and co-hosted by the Chinese Museums Association, the Chinese Society of Natural Science Museums, and the Zhengzhou Municipal People's Government. The theme of this year's Museum Expo was "Museums in the New Era: Innovation, Development, and Heritage."
Source: www.ncha.gov.cn
02
Central Axis Nomination: Imperial Way Landscape Fully Connected
Beijing's Central Axis stretches approximately 7.8 kilometers from Yongdingmen in the south to the Bell and Drum Towers in the north, running through the center of Beijing's urban area. In September last year, the Dongcheng District launched the Beijing Central Axis Green Space Landscape Improvement (Dongcheng Section) project. The project is located around the west gate of the Temple of Heaven Park and along Yongdingmenwai Street, with the paving of the 67-meter Imperial Way north of Yongdingmen Area Park being an important part of the project.
On August 7, the 2022 Beijing Historical and Cultural City Protection Dialogue was held outside Di'anmen in the northern section of the Beijing Central Axis. More than 20 domestic and international experts shared their valuable experiences in historical city and cultural heritage protection. Five special exhibitions were presented, including the "Myriad Central Axis" Beijing Central Axis Digital Cultural Experience Exhibition.
On August 16, the Beijing Central Axis Green Space Landscape Improvement (Dongcheng Section) project was fully completed. The implementation of this project not only achieved the full connection of the southern central axis Imperial Way but also improved the environmental quality around the central axis, supporting the nomination of the Central Axis for World Heritage status.
Source: culture.gmw.cn
03
Chengdu Natural History Museum to Open Soon
On August 18, Professor Ouyang Hui, Executive Deputy Head of the Preparatory Group for the Chengdu Natural History Museum (Chengdu University of Technology Museum), stated that the construction of the Chengdu Natural History Museum has entered the final sprint phase of exhibition installation, beginning the countdown to its opening. This means that the largest complete dinosaur fossil in Asia — the Hechuan Mamenchisaurus — will return to public view in a brand new form. It is understood that the Chengdu Natural History Museum (Chengdu University of Technology Museum) is built right next to the campus with no surrounding walls, making it fully open to the public.
Source: sichuan.scol.com.cn
04
Emblem of the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Released
On August 29, the emblem for the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) was officially released. The emblem, shaped like a traditional Chinese jade bi disc, symbolizes harmony among all things on Earth. It incorporates the forms of four rare and endangered animals that live in China's wetlands — the finless porpoise, the milu (Père David's deer), the Chinese alligator, and the crested ibis — along with a human face silhouette. Using continuous, curved lines, the design outlines simple yet vivid forms of humans, animals, and plants. The interconnected shapes enclose the space on which wetland organisms depend, expressing the harmonious coexistence of the wetland environment, humans, animals, and plants.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of China's accession to the Ramsar Convention. From November 5 to 13, the COP14 conference will be held simultaneously in Wuhan, China (main venue, hybrid online/offline) and Geneva, Switzerland (headquarters of the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, parallel venue, hybrid online/offline). The conference will discuss the strategic direction of the Convention, deliberate on important implementation matters, and present compelling stories of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.
Source: www.forestry.gov.cn
05
Sui-Tang Dynasty Kiln Site Discovered at Jinyang Ancient City
On August 15, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology released a new archaeological discovery: a kiln site dating to the Sui and Tang dynasties was found at the Jinyang Ancient City site, making it the earliest such discovery in Shanxi Province. The kiln site dates roughly from the Sui to the early Tang dynasties, was used for a relatively short period, and produced a limited variety of wares, but at a relatively high technical level. This kiln site is the earliest discovered so far in Shanxi Province, filling a gap in relevant research and holding significant importance for the study of ancient Chinese ceramics.
Source: ent.cnr.cn
