Protection, proper use of world heritage marking modern civilization

"China's world heritage witnesses the country's ancient culture, while protecting and properly utilizing the heritage is a mark of modern civilization," said a renowned Chinese expert specialized on world heritage study.

Xie Ninggao, director of the world heritage research center of Beijing University, told Xinhua prior to the opening of the 28th Session of the World Heritage Committee that protecting the world heritage means preserving a real and complete legacy of the ancestors.

Xie is the first person in China who initiated and established China's first research center on world heritage, and he is also appointed expert and advisor to many of Chinese research institutes about natural park and historical cities.

According to Xie, the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage requires all countries that signed the Convention to make utmost efforts to appraise, protect,preserve, display the world heritage and pass them on to the offspring.

"Protecting the world heritage is to have them well preserved and shared by the offspring," said Xie, noting that the better theheritage is preserved, the higher value it will have.

China signed the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1985, and between 1987 and 2003, a total of 29 Chinese sites have been listed by the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as World Heritage, ranking third globally after Italy and Spain in world heritage possession.

Xie said China has rich resources of world heritage, featured by vast land areas, complex landform, diversified climates and life-forms, and the diversified nature and culture fostered by China's long history and 56 ethnic groups.

Xie said many of China's natural and cultural heritage are originated from China's ancient mountains and rivers. As a result,most of China's world heritage sites are combinations of both culture and nature.

In the ancient time, these mountains and rivers were well preserved as most people regarded these sites as the holy places for spirit activities, like heaven worship. Therefore any destruction to these sites was forbidden, said Xie.

But the expert said when China entered the industrial stage, the increasing economic activities surely made damages to the world heritage.

Under such circumstances, to protect the world heritage needs the joint efforts of every Chinese, said Xie. He added that the current heat of applying for new sites on the list of the world heritage is also an effective way of protecting the heritage.

Statistics show that at present nearly 100 Chinese sites are applying to be listed as world heritage, among which 49 have been accepted into the preparatory list.

Xie said in line with the definition and standard of world heritage in the Convention, China should have at least 100 world heritage sites.

But Xie also oppugned the purpose of the application in some local places, which hoped to use the fame of "World Heritage" to attract more tourists. "This is not protection, but destruction," said Xie.

Xie said his suggestions that the Chinese government should further improve the management system of world heritage by organizing a central authority and framing more relevant laws and regulations.

The professor also hopes China to set up a special expert committee on world heritage, so as to shorten the distance with the developed countries in scientific research over the world heritage.

"Protecting the world heritage is the common task facing the whole world," said Xie, calling on all Chinese people to join the efforts in protecting China's world heritage.

Source:Xinhua