Preserving the cultural lifeblood of a nation

• Source: Global Times
• [21:31 October 01 2009]
• Comments

Du Jinpeng

Editor's Note:

Will China's cultural heritage sites merely be respected, and then be forgotten as museum pieces, or will they find a fresh role in modern life? China.com.cn (China) interviewed Du Jinpeng (Du), director of Cultural Heritage Protection Research Center, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

China: The initial intentions in applying for World Cultural Heritage status is to arouse attention, to get protection, and to have the value of the sites recognized. However, with the success of applications, there have been some bad side effects, such as excessive tourism development and environmental damage. What are the reasons for these problems?

Du: I think these problems can be analyzed in several respects. First, the relations between different interests were not well handled, including two contradictory groups: special interest and general interest, and immediate interest and long-term interest.

With a successful application for World Cultural Heritage status, local governments need to take on many obligations, such as daily maintenance and annual restoration, which require tremendous investments that cannot be fully subsidized by the central government.

In order to protect and maintain cultural heritage sites, local governments need to find ways to raise money. Developing tourism may be one solution, but it increases the need for tourist facilities and the number of visitors, which can also damage cultural heritage sites.

Local people are facing many restrictions because of cultural heritage protection. For instance, polluting industries and buildings which do not blend with the surrounding landscape are restricted near World Cultural Heritage sites. Even local residences are subjected to many restrictions.

With impeded economic development and restricted living standards, local residents have already made many sacrifices. These sites belong to the whole nation, so it is the responsibility of governments and all citizens to protect them. We are all obliged to assist local governments and residents to protect World Cultural Heritage sites. The problem would no longer exist if we did not shirk our duties. If all of these relations are well handled, the problem of over-commercialization of sites might well be solved.

Second, certain places' motivation in applying for World Cultural Heritage status for their sites is not pure. They just wanted to build fame and then attract more tourists. In this way, once their applications are approved, the whole thing turns into a business, and then the situation runs gradually out of control. Therefore, applications should be strictly scrutinized to avoid this dangerous trend.

China: Both technology and our attitudes play a role in cultural heritage protection. What can be further improved in China?

Du: Since the foundation of the PRC, we have done a lot of work in heritage protection laws and regulations, including the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics and many other rules. However, these are still not enough in daily work and practice. The establishment of laws and regulations is still lagging behind the rapid economic development and changes in society.

For example, construction of "archaeological parks," which is very popular in many districts, shows creative initiative in effectively and scientifically integrating the protection and utilization of ancient heritage sites. This is also a serious topic among experts, scholars and the public. Although many places are establishing "heritage parks," in my opinion they lack valid and sufficient preparation from the legal and regulatory perspective.

Our practice is leaping forward, while laws and regulations are lagging behind. It is quite awkward that the former cannot be supported by the latter. I believe the most urgent task for heritage protection laws is to regulate the utilization of ancient heritage sites, and to find methods to utilize them reasonably, considerately and in a sustainable manner.

China: Many places are exploring their heritage and establishing such sites, but not all of them need to be protected or have the same value. What are the selection criteria?

Du: In principle, all heritage sites need to be protected, because each one is unique in some ways. But due to limited resources of labor and capital, we cannot comprehensively protect every such location in the country.

Under our current circumstances, what we need to consider is how to make the best use of limited resources. Basically, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage emphasizes the protection of larger sites, and gives lower priority to smaller ones.

Heritage protection can be divided into two methods. One is to leave it untouched and keep its original state, which is what average people usually think. The other method is to excavate. Some people would say that excavation is destruction.

But from another perspective, excavation is also a kind of protection. Through excavation, we can fully recognize the value of our heritage, and then provide more comprehensive and scientific preservation solutions and basic information to protect the site.

China: Warsaw, the capital of Poland, was leveled by the Germans in World War II. Through the photos and memories of citizens, it was rebuilt and was later listed as a World Heritage site. Some people think this is a sign of a strong continuing heritage, while others decry reproduction. What do you think?

Du: In fact, heritage reconstruction or reproduction has its value. Domestically, there are many fragile cultural relics, such as textiles, which are very difficult to maintain in existing conditions. If we study unearthed relics enough and understand their technique and materials, we can reproduce and copy them. This would restore the civilization value of unearthed relics from both a spiritual and a technical perspective.

However, relic reconstruction is another problem, because great damage can be caused during the process. Warsaw is a special case, since the city bears the scars of major historical events and carries a huge weight of national feeling, so the whole nation wanted it rebuilt.

China: Some sites still have their original function, such as Dujiangyan in Sichuan Province, while others are just preserved as ruins or museum pieces. How do we deal with these differences.

Du: The main difference lies in protection method. For those functioning heritages, the key is how to make use of them.

For example, the Forbidden City is now for tourism. Another method is to continue their original features. For example, monks can still live in old temples. For this type of heritages, protection measures and technologies should take its functionality into consideration.

For unused sites, we can isolate them from their current environment. This is a common method adopted for movable and unused relics, such as by moving them into a new location, changing their environment, or even building protective structures around them.

China: How do you look at the role of cultural heritage protection in social, economic and cultural development?

Du: Cultural heritage is the root of a nation, which is indispensable for national development and prosperity. It is also the Chinese nation's lifeblood. Only when it is well protected can our culture and civilization survive and spread. Therefore, instead of being optional, cultural heritage protection is a very important problem of national culture security, which also involves national development and our international status. Cultural soft power also includes cultural heritage.