On 28 July, the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee (HERITAGE) held a side event on the theme of “Echoes of ‘World Heritage Leadership’ – From Fuzhou to Kazan”. Participants exchanged views on the conservation and management practices of the World Heritage Project in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, and Kazan, Russia, the host of the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee. Tian Xuejun, Vice Minister of Education, Director of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO and President of the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, Zheng Jianmin, Vice Governor of Fujian Province, and Xia Zehan, Director of the UNESCO Beijing Office, attended the meeting and delivered speeches.
Tian Xuejun stressed that protecting, inheriting and making good use of the world’s cultural and natural heritage is our common responsibility and an inevitable requirement for the continuation of human civilization and the sustainable development of the world. In this regard, the venue where the World Heritage Committee is held should play a unique leading role, especially in terms of exemplary, inspirational and linkage.
Tian Xuejun said that Fuzhou City, where the conference was held, is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 2,200 years. In the 90s of the 20th century, when President Xi Jinping worked in Fuzhou, he was committed to coordinating the dialectical relationship between “ancient” and “modern”, man and nature, protection and development, not only protecting the “Three Lanes and Seven Alleys” historical and cultural district, rushing to repair a large number of ancient cultural relics, but also leaving Fuzhou citizens with a livable environment of sky blue, water green, clear mountains and beautiful city. After more than 30 years of unremitting efforts, Fuzhou and even Fujian have made remarkable achievements in the construction of ecological civilization, strengthening the protection and utilization of cultural relics and the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, and have accumulated vivid cases and useful experience.
Tian Xuejun pointed out that the adoption of the “Fuzhou Declaration” named after the city at this session reflects the common will and action of the vast number of member countries, and is also the spiritual wealth left by Fuzhou to the cause of world heritage. The Conference set a precedent for UNESCO to consider World Heritage issues online, and relevant operational norms and practices will become an important reference for the combined online and offline work in the field of World Heritage in the post-pandemic period.
At the meeting, Fu Wusheng, Director of Fujian Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, introduced the protection experience of five World Heritage sites, including “Quanzhou: World Ocean Trade Center of Song-Yuan China”, Fujian Tulou and Wuyishan, and shared the useful explorations made by Fujian in recent years in terms of understanding heritage, basic concepts of protection, management system construction, and improving local management.
According to the participants, although Fuzhou and Kazan are far apart, as host of the World Heritage Committee, the two cities are closely linked by a common responsibility. The theme side meeting promoted exchanges and cooperation between Fuzhou and Kazan in heritage protection and preparations for the World Heritage Conference, and jointly contributed to the cause of world heritage.
It is reported that the World Heritage Committee decided at its 15th extraordinary session in March 2021 to host the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Kazan, Russia.
(Xu Xiuli, Zhao Yun)