Resurrected From the Past

<正>China has a new spot on the UNESCO World Heritage ListThree sites of the Tusi heritage—areas resided in by ethnic minorities in southwest and central China from the 13th century to the mid-20th century—were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in July,increasing the number of the country’s World Heritage Sites to 48,the second largest in the world following Italy.The three sites are Laosicheng Fortress in central China’s Hunan Province,Tangya Fortress in central China’s Hubei Province     

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Editor＇s Note： China＇s vast territory and long history have engendered a profuse and colorful intangible cultural heritage. Wang Wenzhang, president of the China Art Academy, and his staff have spent years on comprehensive research into China＇s intangible heritage with the aim of salvaging aspects of it that are in danger of dying out. Talking to Wang Wenzhang on the subject truly brings home its universal significance. As Wang says, ＂The intangible cultural heritage immanent in folklore, ballads, festivals and handicrafts constitute the quintessence of a nation.＂ Folk festivals are a main aspect of the cultural heritage of China＇s various ethnic groups, one that we will explore and bring to our readers throughout 2008. To quote Wang Wenzhang once more, ＂History enables knowledge of a nation; knowing its intangible cultural heritage gives insight into its spirit.＂     

World Cultural Heritage Protection in China

ON June 24,at the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Paris,the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The West Lake is the only lake in China and one of the few lakes in the world that was declared world cultural heritage.     

Restoring Cultural Heritage Sites Most of the post-quake cultural heritage rescue and protection projects in Sichuan have been completed

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage recently rewarded 132 individuals and organizations for their work in rescuing and protecting cultural relics damaged by the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12,2008.Two world cultural heritage sites,145 key state-level cultural heritage sites and 285 provincial-level cultural heritage sites as well as more than 1,000 city or county-level cultural heritage sites in Sichuan,Gansu and Shaanxi provinces were damaged by the earthquake,said Shan Jixiang,Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.     

The Eco Balancing Act

UNESCO’s World Heritage List was created in 1972, and so far includes 830 approved areas of the world, among which 162 are nature reserves, and the rest either cultural or mixed regions. Each country can submit two nominations each year, one of which has to be a nature site. If successful, the south China karst region will be the fifth natural heritage site of China to receive world heritage status, following southwest Sichuan’s Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, Huanglong Nature Reserve, Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Hunan Province, and the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan.     

China''''s New World Heritage Sites

ON July 1, 2004, the Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom of China were inscribed on the World Heritage list with the approval of the 28th Session of World Heritage Committee.China currently has 30 world heritage siles. The ancient Koguryo Kingdom, founded in the second year of Emperor Yuandi's Reign of the Han Dynasty, has a 705-year history. The new cultural heritage property consists of Wunu Mountain City, Guonei City, Wandu Mountain     

Beijing Ready for the Olympics——Beijing Olympics - Striving for the Highest Quality Services

August 8, 2008 will see the grand opening o1 the ⅩⅩⅨ Olympic Games in Beijing, when athletes from over 200 countries and regions will gather in the capital.
With a 3,000-year history, and serving as China＇s capital for about eight centuries, Beijing boasts a number of historical sites and a rich cultural heritage. Over the last 800 years, it has been the political and cultural center of China, and it is now emerging as one of the world＇s most bustling metropolises.     

The Endurance of Chinese Charm

The world cultural heritage list is comprised of cultural resources of universal value,and deep and significant meaning to mankind and is therefore part of a global treasury. The world cultural heritage sites in China are representative of the ancient history and fascinating civilization of the country.     

The Second International Festival of Intangible Cultural Heritage：A FEAST OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE,A FESTIVAL FOR CHENGDU,A PARTY FOR THE WORLD

The Second International Festival of Intangible Cultural Heritage was held in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, which is known as the ＂Land of Abundance＂ in China, from June 1 to June 13, 2009. Delegations from 40 countries and different cities, autonomous regions and provinces of China participated in the festival＇s various activities. This, together with the International Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Forum attended by the ambassadors to the UNESCO of over 30 countries, the Grand Parade at the opening ceremony and the promotional drives at the festival, turned the event into a true public cultural pageant.     

Endowed With Heritage

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee inscribes two new sites in China China's world heritage site num-ber has again increased after two new additions were announced at the 32nd conference of the World Heritage Committee, held in Quebec,     

A Growing Heritage

Two more places in China have been added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites In July, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted to place China's giant panda sanctuaries in Sichuan Province and the Yin Xu (ruins of the capital city of the Shang Dynasty, about 1600-1100 B.C.) archaeological site in Henan Province on its list of World Heritage sites, bringing the total number in China to 33, ranking third after Spain and Italy.     

Protecting Heritage

Since the first batch of cultural and natural sites of China were inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list in 1987, China now has 40 listed sites, ranking third in the world in terms of the number of listed sites.     

Culture Refines a City’s Style

In the past decade,the proportion of China’s urban population has increased 3.2 percent annually,giving it the fastest urbanization rate in the world. Of the global cities whose population exceeds 500,000,236 of them,or one quarter of the world’s stock,are in China. Construction projects in cities are reducing the architectural remnants of their traditional culture. The impulses that drive urbanization and modernization seem to contradict the values associated with cultural preservation. What is China’s approach to this dilemma? With this question China Today interviewed Lü Pintian,a researcher with the Chinese National Academy of Arts and a member of the National Experts Committee for Protecting Intangible Cultural Heritage. As a veteran scholar on Chinese culture and arts,Lü Pintian champions mastery of all forms of cultural expression,believing the arts to be the touchstone of social culture and ecological balance. He advocates "reinvigorating handicrafts and activating folklore" as basic tactics for protecting China’s intangible cultural heritage. His academic works have won much acclaim.     

Nanjing Software： The New Brilliance of an Ancient City

TOGETHER with Dalian and ＇Chengdu, the city of Nanjing is a major producer of computer software in China.People may wonder what in the world has made Nanjing, a city known for its cultural and historical heritage, a leader in China＇s software industry. And how did this seem to happen overnight？ In spite of its relatively low profile, Nanjing has a few tricks up its sleeve the other cities don＇t.     

Wanfenglin： Forest of Peaks

AFTER an unusually bleak winter, spring has returned to Wanfenglin - literally the ＂forest of ten thousand peaks.＂ The area is famous for its picturesque natural scenery and the unique cultural practices of the Bouyei and Miao ethnic groups. In recent years it＇s also been one of China＇s pilot ＂folklore tourism＂ development sites.     

Zhou Jiansheng''''s World Heritage Photo Exhibition Held in Beijing

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship BetweenChina and Japan, to give publicity to preservation of World Cultural and Natural Heritages, and to enhance cultural exchanges between China and Japan, the CPAFFC held "Zhou Jiansheng's World Heritage Photo Exhibition" at the Friendship Hall in the CPAFFC compound from November 18 to 22, 2003.     

ARCHITECTURE INFORMS HISTORY

Clusters of ancient architecture in central China have recently been entered on the world heritage list A group of ancient architecture in Dengfeng,central China's Henan Province,was added to the world heritage list at the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brazil on August 1 this year.The architectural collection is China's 39th property inscribed on the list,and the third world heritage site in the province after the Longmen Grottoes and Yinxu in Anyang,site of the capital of the late Sha...     

Ming Tombs World Heritage

IN July two more of China’s ancient sites were desig-naied UNESCO world heritage:the Ming Tombs inBeijing and Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing.Thisbrings the number of Chinese world heritage sites to29.     

INTANGIBLE CUL TURAL HERITAGE ON UNESCO LIST

The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage defines intangible cultural heritage as the practices,representations,and expressions,as well as the knowledge and skills that communities,groups and,in some cases,individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.Along with structured cultural heritage,intangible heritage presents a nation with a sense of unity and belonging,beneficial not only to itself but also to humanity as a whole. Recognizing four unique areas of China's intangible heritage,the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)added the following to its Protection List:     

Cuotaiji,An Ancient Nuo Play of the Yi Ethnic Group

The Nuo play of southwest China＇s Yi ethnic group is also known as ＂Cuotaiji＂ in the local dialect, which means ＂play about human evolution.＂ The Chinese government included it in the first list of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.