The Great Wall is a world cultural heritage and a national key cultural relic protection unit. Qi Great Wall is an important part of the Great Wall, which was built in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It is the oldest Great Wall in China with accurate remains to be tested. The Regulations on the Protection of Qi Great Wall in Shandong Province (hereinafter referred to as the “Regulations”) came into effect on January 1, 2023. Based on the needs of the protection of the Great Wall of Qi, the Regulations focus on solving practical difficulties and outstanding problems in the protection work according to the realistic situation of the Great Wall of Qi, such as its long history, large occupied land volume and being easily affected by the production and life of the surrounding people.
The Regulations, consisting of six chapters and 49 articles, as supporting regulations for the protection of cultural relics and the Great Wall, as well as important regulations in the field of cultural construction, scientifically coordinate the relationship between the protection of the Great Wall of Qi and the production and construction activities along the line in accordance with the working principle of “protection first, strengthening management, tapping value, and making effective use of cultural relics”, which provides a more perfect system guarantee for the effective protection of the Great Wall of Qi.
Improve the protection system and mechanism
Gao Xianjie, deputy director of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of Shandong Provincial People’s Congress, introduced that the “Regulations” improve the system and mechanism of the protection of the Great Wall of Qi and compact the responsibility for protection. The concept of the Great Wall should be clearly defined, and the points and sections of the Great Wall of Qi, which have been recognized and published by the cultural relics department of the State Council within the administrative area of this province, include the remains of walls, trenches, mountain hazards, beacon towers, closed castles and related facilities. The protection principles of “scientific planning, undisturbed protection, rational utilization and territorial management” of the Great Wall of Qi were determined.
The Regulations stipulate that the people’s governments of cities and counties (cities, districts) adjacent to the Great Wall of Qi, which is located at the administrative boundaries of counties (cities, districts), should establish communication and cooperation mechanisms, implement management responsibilities and jointly do a good job in the protection of the Great Wall of Qi.
At the same time, in order to ensure the pertinence and rationality of the selection of the protection institutions of the Great Wall of Qi, the Regulations stipulate that the protection institutions shall be proposed by the people’s governments of cities and counties (cities, districts) and determined by the provincial government. The units with cultural relics protection functions, such as museums, cultural relics protection centers and cultural relics management offices, as well as the management institutions that visit tourist areas and nature reserves, can be determined as the protection institutions of the Great Wall of Qi, and the responsibilities of the protection institutions are detailed. “This is an important innovation in the protection of linear cultural heritage.” Gao Xianjie said.
The “Regulations” put forward requirements for the construction of publicity and education, social participation, recognition and reward mechanisms, and stipulated that the people’s governments at or above the county level where the Great Wall of Qi is located should organize publicity and education activities on the protection of the Great Wall of Qi to raise the public’s awareness of the protection of the Great Wall of Qi. Citizens, legal persons and other organizations have the obligation to protect the Great Wall of Qi in accordance with the law, and have the right to dissuade and report acts of destroying the Great Wall of Qi. Meanwhile, drums.Citizens, legal persons and other organizations are encouraged to carry out public welfare activities for the protection of the Great Wall of Qi in accordance with the law through donations, the establishment of protection funds and voluntary services, and the relevant departments shall provide convenience for the protection of public welfare activities for the Great Wall of Qi. The people’s governments at or above the county level where the Great Wall of Qi is located shall commend and reward units or individuals that have made outstanding contributions to the protection of the Great Wall of Qi in accordance with relevant regulations.
In addition, the “Regulations” focus on system construction, based on the key and difficult issues in the protection of the Great Wall of Qi, innovate system design, establish and improve a series of institutional norms such as the expert consultation system, fund use management system, interview system, supervision and inspection system, law enforcement inspection system, dynamic monitoring system, complaint reporting system, warning system and annual report system for the protection of the Great Wall of Qi, covering all fields and the whole process of supervision.
Refine various protective measures
The Regulations refine the protection responsibilities of governments at all levels, cultural relics departments and other departments, and stipulate the specific requirements for the protection of the Great Wall of Qi, including the investigation of the resources of the Great Wall of Qi, the preparation of protection planning, the delineation of protection scope and construction control zone, the determination of protection institutions, the establishment of protection signs, the control of construction projects, the control of land use, the prohibition of behavior, the protection of scenery, the protection of repairs, and the emergency protection.
The “Regulations” stipulate that the provincial people’s government shall, according to the relevant provisions of the state and the protection needs of the Great Wall of Qi, prepare the protection plan of the Great Wall of Qi and organize its implementation. The protection planning of the Great Wall of Qi should clarify the protection standards and key points, classify and determine the protection measures, and determine the points and sections of the Great Wall of Qi where engineering construction is prohibited within the protection scope. The people’s governments at or above the county level where the Great Wall of Qi is located shall, when formulating land and space planning, implement the protection measures stipulated in the protection planning of the Great Wall of Qi. The people’s governments of counties (cities, districts) where the important sections of the Great Wall at the national level are determined by the cultural relics authorities in the State Council shall, in accordance with the provisions, prepare special cultural relics protection plans and organize their implementation.
The “Regulations” clarify that the provincial people’s government should, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the state, set up the Qi Great Wall protection signs at the traffic intersections along the Qi Great Wall, around the points with typical characteristics and other areas that need to remind the public. The protection signs of Qi Great Wall shall not be aligned with the Great Wall to cause damage.
The “Regulations” require that museums, cultural relics protection centers, cultural relics management offices and other units with cultural relics protection functions belonging to the cultural relics departments of the people’s governments at or above the county level where the Great Wall of Qi is located, as well as the management institutions of tourist areas and nature reserves where the Great Wall of Qi is located, can be identified as the protection institutions of the Great Wall of Qi. Qi Great Wall protection institutions shall carry out daily patrol monitoring, maintenance, emergency rescue and reinforcement, repair and other protection work according to law, and establish working systems and work logs; If it is found that there are potential safety hazards in the Great Wall of Qi, it shall immediately take control measures and report to the competent department of cultural relics of the people’s government at or above the county level.
Location of qi great wall.The people’s governments at or above the county level and their cultural relics departments can strengthen the inspection and care of the Great Wall by setting up public welfare posts and purchasing services by the government.
Give priority to protection and give consideration to utilization
The “Regulations” balance the relationship between protection and utilization, insist on giving priority to protection and promoting protection by use, and explore and innovate the way of utilization. On the one hand, implement the major decision-making arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee and make specific provisions for the construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park; On the other hand, the construction of tourist areas is regarded as an important way to make use of the Great Wall of Qi. While encouraging social forces to participate, the conditions for turning the Great Wall into tourist areas, the infrastructure requirements of tourist areas, the responsibilities of management institutions and the prohibition of sexual behavior are clearly defined.
In encouraging scientific research and standardizing the way of utilization, the “Regulations” encourage scientific research and clarify the target direction. Encourage scientific research institutions, institutions of higher learning, social organizations, experts and scholars to carry out special research and academic exchanges on the Great Wall of Qi, and inherit the excellent traditional Chinese culture. Encourage social forces to set up museums and exhibition halls of the Great Wall of Qi to show the historical evolution, construction techniques and cultural connotations of the Great Wall of Qi and various cultural relics related to the Great Wall of Qi. Encourage the development of cultural products and the creation of literary works with the theme of the Great Wall of Qi, interpret the history of the Great Wall of Qi and explain its value.
With regard to the construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park, the Regulations stipulate that the provincial people’s government shall, in accordance with state regulations and the protection plan of the Great Wall, draw up a protection plan for the construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park (Shandong section) and organize its implementation. The people’s governments of cities and counties (cities, districts) located in the Great Wall of Qi shall promote the construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park (Shandong Section) according to the protection plan of the Great Wall National Cultural Park (Shandong Section) and give play to its functions of protection, inheritance, scientific research, cultural education, tourism, leisure and entertainment. Encourage citizens, legal persons and other organizations to participate in the construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park (Shandong Section).
In terms of the construction and management of the tourist area of the Great Wall of Qi, the Regulations clearly define the conditions for turning the Great Wall of Qi into a tourist area: (1) It meets the requirements of the protection plan of the Great Wall of Qi; (two) the security situation is suitable for the public to visit; (three) there is a clear protection agency, the scope of protection has been delineated according to law, the control zone has been built, and protection signs and protection files have been set up. When the Great Wall of Qi is turned into a tourist area, the tourist capacity index shall be verified according to law.
The “Regulations” put forward clear requirements for social forces to participate in the protection and utilization of the Great Wall of Qi. In the construction of infrastructure in the tourist area of the Great Wall of Qi, fixed or permanent facilities should be reduced, and the Great Wall, its historical features and surrounding natural landscape should not be aligned to cause damage. At the same time, it is clear that the management agencies of the Great Wall of Qi should formulate emergency plans and equip them with necessary emergency equipment..And guide tourists to travel in a safe, civilized and environmentally friendly way. The number of people holding activities in the tourist area shall not exceed the tourism capacity index approved according to law; The establishment of service projects shall conform to the requirements of the protection planning of the Great Wall of Qi.
The “Regulations” also stipulate that social forces investing in the construction of the Qi Great Wall to visit the tourist area shall sign an agreement with the cultural relics department of the people’s government at or above the county level where the Qi Great Wall is located, clarifying the responsibility for protection, and shall not transfer, mortgage or operate the Qi Great Wall as an enterprise asset. Our reporter Liang Pingni