Beijing to Host International Symposium on Relics ProtectionAn international symposium to find some solutions for China's dilemma of rapid urbanization vs. relics protection will be held July 5-7 in the Chinese capital.The symposium, "Cultural Relics Protection and Urban Development in China: Opportunity and Challenge," is the first of its kind in China, a 5,000-year-old country which is undergoing breakneck urban construction amid economic booms. Attending the meeting will be officials and specialists who are responsible for relics protection and urban planning in dozens of Chinese cities, as well as foreign experts invited by the World Bank and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Statistics show that China now boasts about 400,000 relics sites, including 750 sites under the state's top protection and 99 renowned historic cities. A total of 23 cultural relics sites and scenic spots in China have been listed on UNESCO's list of world heritages. However, large-scale infrastructural construction and refurbishing projects in old urban areas have worsened the situation of relics protection in recent years, according to some specialists of relics conservation. Many precious ancient buildings and relics have been pulled down to make way for glass-and-chrome skyscrapers in lots of cities, they complained. Discussions during the symposium are expected to focus on the establishment of cultural heritage lists, the planning and protection of historic sites, rational use of ancient buildings and sites, and relationships between relics protection and tourism promotion. A document on relics protection and urban development may be issued after the meeting, said an official with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), which sponsored the symposium together with the Ministry of Construction, the World Bank and the UNESCO. The symposium was initiated by SACH officials in 1999 during an international conference on sustainable development of cultural heritage in Italy. |
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