China aiming to do more to protect world heritage
Print Edition
CHINA should shoulder more responsibility for world heritage protection and in promoting international cooperation, a senior cultural official said yesterday.
Along with more sites being recognized for their cultural value, comes greater responsibility and more duties, said Liu Yuzhu, head of China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
He said China would work closely with international organizations, promote the protection of world heritage and share its experiences, Liu said.
In the meantime, China will continue to participate in world heritage protection, including protecting Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and helping Nepal restore a temple in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square.
Liu pledged further coordination and cooperation in protecting heritage sites with countries along the ancient Silk Road, the south Asia Silk Road and the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
His remarks followed the inclusion of two more Chinese sites on UNESCO’s world heritage list, though Liu said the country still faced many problems in supervising, protecting and managing its heritage.
The recent additions to the list were Gulangyu island in east China’s Fujian Province and Hol Xil in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in northwest China’s Qinghai Province.
Hol Xil, at an average altitude of over 4,600 meters, is an ideal habitat for Tibetan antelopes and 230 other species of wildlife, including Tibetan gazelle and wild yak.
It became the 51st Chinese site on the UNESCO list during the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland.
Hol Xil, which means “beautiful young woman, blue mountain” in Mongolian, was beset by poachers in the 1980s, who hunted Tibetan antelopes for their hide. In 1996, a nature reserve was set up to protect the animal, and the reserve upgraded to a national one in 1997.
Currently, over 70 people are employed by the Hol Xil National Nature Reserve’s administrative bureau to patrol the mountains for animal protection. The population of Tibetan antelopes has increased over the years thanks to their efforts, and Hoh Xil currently has more than 60,000 antelopes.
Peking University’s professor Lu Zhi, who studies the ecology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, said the listing meant stricter protection measures would roll out to protect the plateau.
Wang Lianbang, vice head of the housing and construction bureau of Yushu, said inclusion on the world heritage list would bring more opportunities for scientific research.
Hoh Xil is considered a living laboratory and changes in temperature, precipitation, icebergs and frozen soil in the area have global implications, Wang said.
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