A behind-the-scenes look at Quanzhou’s campaign for World Heritage status
Print Edition
SHANGHAI Daily asked professor Fu Jing of the China Architecture Design & Research Group about the reasons behind the award and why the nomination is important for Quanzhou, China and even the world. Fu was project leader of the special technical team overseeing Quanzhou’s second bid.
She is deputy director of the group’s Institute of Architectural History, and is primarily engaged in the research and conservation of cultural heritage.
Q: What do you think are the reasons for the success this time of Quanzhou’s bid for the World Heritage List?
Fu: The award process is complex and systematic, and this success could not have been achieved without the full cooperation and innovative exploration of all parties.
Our technical team was mainly responsible for the nomination file in accordance with the content requirements and professional perspective of World Heritage.
In this process, we focused on examining Quanzhou’s heritage from a holistic perspective, reconstructing and refining the heritage value theme, reshaping and enriching the heritage composition system, innovating and improving the conservation management system and accomplishing a series of key technical breakthroughs.
Q: What technical adjustments were made compared to the first nomination?
Fu: First, through an overall study of the social and economic systems of Quanzhou in the Song and Yuan dynasties, we chose “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China” as the nomination name, highlighting the theme of heritage values.
Focusing on the theme, we reshaped the heritage composition system to fully support the overall value. The 22 component sites we selected can comprehensively reflect the highly integrated maritime trade system, and the multicultural social structure of Quanzhou during the 10th-14th centuries.
And finally, the nomination name revolves around the concept of sustainable development. This whole group of properties can be defined as a social system.
The protection and management of this system also needed to rely on the existing social governance system, so we combine the requirements of World Heritage conservation management with the existing social governance system instead of setting up a separate set of rules.
Q: What is the significance of the success of Quanzhou’s recognition?
Fu: It’s of great significance to Quanzhou, China and the world. “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China” is an in-depth interpretation of Chinese civilization and Chinese culture from the perspective of the sea.
The success helps to demonstrate to the international community the development of Chinese civilization in which agriculture and maritime are intertwined.
The history of Song-Yuan Quanzhou also presents the outstanding spiritual qualities of the Chinese culture, such as openness, inclusiveness, and innovation.
It also reveals the great contribution of the entire Chinese nation to the common development of human civilization.
The success shows that the outstanding development wisdom of Song-Yuan Quanzhou has been recognized worldwide.
It will also urge and inspire the people of Quanzhou to cherish and protect their cultural heritage for generations, to pass on the wisdom of the millennium, to explore the path of innovation and development, and to make greater contributions to the country and the world.
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