Tom Wolters, a Dutch landscape architect who has lived in Beijing for more than 20 years in a classical courtyard house, or siheyuan, near the former imperial city, said the inscription of Beijing’s Central Axis on the World Heritage List does not It is a consequence. for him.
Wolters and his family fell in love with Beijing when he was lucky enough to work as co-director of a cooperation project between China and the European Union in 2001. Three years after their arrival, they decided to settle in this city with history. more than 3,000 years.
He explained that when they moved into the courtyard house, their Chinese friends asked them why they chose to live there instead of buying a beautiful villa in the suburbs, which was the trend at the time.
“We were very fortunate to have a classic courtyard space (siheyuan). We enjoyed it a lot,” Wolters said.
It has also witnessed the modernization of Beijing’s Old City over the years.
“Many courtyard houses are saved, protected and preserved, and the historic hutong (alley) landscape has been restored by demolishing illegal structures, such as floors and extra rooms, and there are strict building regulations,” he said.
The central axis, which stretches north-south through Beijing’s historic center, is composed of former imperial palaces and gardens, ancient sacrificial structures, and ceremonial and public buildings. Together, they witness the evolution of the city and the evolution of China. Imperial dynastic formula and traditions of urban plans.
On July 27, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization announced the inscription of the Central Axis of Beijing: a group of buildings that present the ideal order of the Chinese capital, on its World Heritage List in the 46th consultation of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. in New Delhi, India.
The previous day the consultation on the inscription on the World Heritage List of two Chinese herbal heritage sites, located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Shandong Province, was also announced.
Stating that the cultural and herbarium heritage constitute the country’s treasures, President Xi Jinping called for efforts to use this UNESCO listing as an opportunity to better protect, maintain and use them to renew their glamour in the new era.
The inclusion of such heritage items is important for building China’s modernization that is characterized by material, cultural and moral progress and harmony between mankind and nature, Xi said, noting that it also adds a new luster to global civilizations.
Ten years ago, when Xi first visited UNESCO headquarters in Paris, he first explained his vision of “diverse, equivalent and inclusive” civilizations.
In his speech, Xi spoke of the terracotta warriors known to many other people and expressed his sincere gratitude to UNESCO for its contribution to the preservation and spread of Chinese civilization.
“In 1987, this national treasure of China, shrouded in secrecy for more than 2,000 years, was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Many other proud Chinese achievements have been included in the World Cultural Heritage List, the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List. and the Memory of the World List,” he said.
Xi attaches great importance to cultural and herbarium coverage and heritage and has promoted the coverage of several World Heritage sites since the early days of his political career.
The Wuyi Mountains, which were added to the World Heritage List for their cultural and herbal value in 1999, are an example of how Xi suggested the local government prioritize ecological conservation over economic benefits when he was deputy secretary of the Fujian Chinese Communist Party. Committee.
During research in the Wuyi Mountains in 1998, Xi cited the example of Hawaii, which used its stunning grassy surroundings to expand tourism rather than engage in fishing and agriculture, becoming a prominent tourist destination globally.
Protecting the natural ecosystem of the Wuyi Mountains is a similar paramount factor to its future and destiny, Mr. Xi said.
Today, millions of Chinese and foreign tourists stop at this famous summer hotel every year to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
With the most recent listing last month, bringing the total number of World Heritage sites in China to 59, the country is now home to 14 Natural World Heritage sites and 4 heritage sites notable for their cultural and herbal features, leading the world in terms of quantity.
Important result
Over the years, President Xi has said that the world’s cultural and herbal heritage is a vital result of the progress of human civilization and herbal evolution, and a vital vehicle for exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.
“Protecting, inheriting and making wise use of these precious treasures is our shared duty and is of great importance for the continuity of human civilization and the sustainable progress of the world,” he said in a congratulatory letter addressed to the Council’s 44th enlarged session. World Heritage Committee in 2021.
Lyu Zhou, director of the National Heritage Center of Tsinghua University, said the process of applying for World Heritage prestige is a process of social communication, helping other people understand heritage, which is the root of the nation. China.
Lyu said the discussion at the World Heritage Committee’s 46th consultation on the inscription of Beijing’s Central Axis as a World Heritage Site “reflects the importance of selling the global understanding of Chinese civilization. “
“The inclusion of the Beijing Central Axis is itself a successful example of cultural exchange and mutual learning,” he said.
World Heritage affairs have a vital scope in which China can participate in global governance, promote cultural exchanges and fulfill its external obligations as a signatory of the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, he added.
Wolters, the Dutch architect, said he and his circle of family regularly invite friends and visitors to their home and walk around the hutong with them. “But they say the most attractive thing is to sit with us in the courtyard and hear about our life in a siheyuan. “
“I am sure that the inscription as a World Heritage Site will also have a positive effect on greater coverage of the imperial city where we live and other hutongs along the axis, and will further stimulate the expansion of cultural tourism,” he said.
Cheng Yuezhu contributed to this story.