Promoting people-to-people exchanges and inspiring development wisdom —Sidelights on the China-ASEAN Cultural Heritage Dialogue

This year marks the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges. On June 20, the “China-ASEAN Cultural Heritage Thematic Dialogue”, co-hosted by the Information Office of the People’s Government of Gansu Province and China Center for International Communication Development, was held in Tianshui of Gansu Province.

Representatives from Chinese and ASEAN embassies and government agencies, cultural celebrities, and experts from think tanks and colleges gathered together to jointly promote exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the inheritance, protection, and sustainable development of cultural heritage, and to collectively advance the building of China-ASEAN community of shared future.

“China and ASEAN have long been partners in cultural exchange, with countless examples of cultural cooperation,” said Irina Bokova, former director-general of UNESCO, in her speech. She noted that under the museum cooperation program, China and ASEAN have held joint exhibitions, exchanged artifacts, and conducted curatorial training, achieving remarkable results.

The youth cultural exchange programs between China and ASEAN have also promoted intergenerational communication and mutual learning. The “China-ASEAN Cultural Heritage Dialogue” has become an important platform for deepening friendship and enhancing mutual understanding between countries.

According to Bokova, China has provided technical guidance, financial support, and joint research for ASEAN countries, and has also supported the restoration of heritage projects during the latter’s World Cultural Heritage status applications. A typical example is the restoration of Angkor Wat, where Chinese experts and the Cambodian team have worked together to bring this world-renowned iconic site back to life.

Guo Qinglin, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Dunhuang Academy, shared their cooperation with ASEAN countries in recent years. In the past five years, Dunhuang Academy continuously carried out international cooperation with 17 cultural heritage institutions in 10 countries across three continents, and its cooperation with ASEAN countries has also been deepening.

In Kyrgyz Republic, Dunhuang Academy has participated in the construction of the Joint Laboratory for Cultural Heritage Protection. In Myanmar, the academy has applied digital technology to the mural restoration project at Thatbyinnyu Temple in Bagan. In Singapore, the digital Dunhuang exhibition organized by the academy was welcomed with a chorus of praises.

In Cambodia, the academy has collaborated with relevant parties to produce the documentary “Dialogue between Mogao Grottoes and Angkor Wat”, which showcases the fascinating connections between arts of different civilizations.

“As a world-renowned cultural calling card, the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang has been exhibited in many ASEAN countries, attracting a large number of visitors and causing a great sensation,” said Zhou Ping, deputy director of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum Site Museum.

In recent years, they have carried out extensive cooperation and exchanges with the National Heritage Administration of Singapore and the Singapore Heritage Center, which have made fruitful achievements.

While Chinese cultural heritage conservators actively go abroad to engage in exchanges and cooperation, some visionaries have also come to China to participate in the protection and inheritance of cultural heritages. AOKI Nobuo from Japan is one of them.

In 2008, AOKI Nobuo, along with his wife, came to China and established the International Research Center for Chinese Cultural Heritage Conservation at the School of Architecture, Tianjin University, where he served as the first director and continues to hold the position to this day. Subsequently, he took charge of the development of the conservation plan for the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, contributing to its successful inscription on the World Heritage List in 2014.

He led his team in completing the conservation plan for the Dagu Shipyard in Tianjin and used this as a starting point to promote research on the protection system of modern industrial heritage in Chinese cities. In 2019, he was awarded the “Chinese Government Friendship Award”. “We will rely on the research center to dynamically advance international cooperation that emphasizes both theory and practice, and to promote the protection, restoration, and research of Chinese cultural heritages in an interdisciplinary manner,” said Aoki at the forum.

Yan Yonghe, the president of Peranakan Association of Malaysia, shared at the forum the journey of China and Malaysia’s joint application for the inscription of the “Sending off the King’s Boat” ceremony on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Yan also revealed that the two countries will jointly apply for a second world intangible cultural heritage project. “We actively promote people-to-people exchanges and enhance cooperation to jointly nourish cultural diversity, and build a closer community of humanities,” said Yan.

“China has provided a great deal of support for the protection and inheritance of Cambodian cultural heritage, and has also cultivated local technical capabilities. It is hoped that more young people will join the ranks of cultural heritage protection in the future,” Chen Baodi, the manager of International Relations Department of the Cambodia-China Friendship Youth Home, appealed that it is necessary to strengthen young people’s education and training to ensure that cultural heritage protection is passed down through generations, as they are energetic, more familiar with technological means, and better at dealing with the media.

“The protection and inheritance of cultural heritage require not only the passing down from generation to generation but also the ability to adapt to the times and innovate,” Yu Yunquan, deputy director of China International Publishing Group, indicated that in the future, it is essential to make greater use of forms such as immersive exhibitions, interactive experience projects, and digital cultural and creative products that are more readily accepted by young people, in order to achieve the effective protection, live inheritance, and value exploration of cultural heritages.

Contributed by Shang Jie, Wang Bingya, Guangming Daily reporters

Translated by Zheng Yiyang