China firmly supports Asian efforts on cultural heritage protection

BEIJING -- The General Assembly of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia, held in China's historic city of Xi'an from Monday to Wednesday, yields fruitful results on Asia's cultural heritage protection.

The Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia (ACHA) was officially established at the event, three years after China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) officially invited Asian countries to jointly launch cultural heritage protection campaigns.

Already joined by 13 countries from all across the continent, the ACHA is expected to "help build consensus on cultural relics protection among Asian countries and build a cooperation mechanism and exchange platform," according to Xie Bing, deputy head of the NCHA.

A joint declaration on cultural heritage protection in Asia was released at the assembly. According to the declaration, the alliance members will carry out collaborative archaeological projects on themes such as the origins of civilizations and the Silk Road, and jointly declare world heritages.

The members will also jointly promote the protection and restoration of important historical sites, contribute to urgent post-disaster repair, and crack down on illegal transportation of cultural relics and facilitate the return of looted relics.

The assembly also saw the official launch of the Asian Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation, which was set up by the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Via dedicated funds, the fund will support the protection, research, joint archaeological efforts, and other areas in the protection of Asia's cultural heritage.

Li Qun, vice minister of culture and tourism and head of the NCHA, said at the assembly that China will further improve the capacity of the ACHA secretariat and support the alliance's sustainable development based on the Asian Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

The fund has raised 88 million yuan (about 12.71 million U.S. dollars) so far to support the cultural heritage protection projects launched by China and other member countries.

These results are the latest of China's consistent and concrete efforts to support Asia's cause in cultural heritage protection apart from the call for the establishment of the ACHA.

At the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations held in Beijing in 2019, China pledged to work with other countries to protect Asian cultural heritage. The country has since taken part in a series of cultural heritage cooperation projects.

Besides collaborative exhibitions, such as the ongoing exhibition of Pakistan's Gandhara art at the Palace Museum, China has also launched a number of professional training programs, signed cultural relics cooperation documents with other Asian countries, and had Chinese archaeologists participate in various joint archaeological surveys and cultural relics repair projects in other parts of Asia.

For instance, in 2022, the restoration of Nepal's nine-story Basantapur temple complex was completed with assistance from China. The restoration project began in 2017, two years after a devastating earthquake severely damaged the historical building complex. It was China's first large-scale cultural heritage foreign assistance project in Nepal.

"China used to be a beneficiary of international cultural heritage cooperation, and now we have become an active contributor," said Wen Dayan, director of the exchange and cooperation department of the NCHA.

The point was echoed by Xie Bing, who said the Chinese solution for deepening the cultural heritage cooperation between Asian countries and promoting exchanges between Asian civilizations, both theoretical and practical, has been widely recognized by Asian countries.

Foreign attendees to the assembly in Xi'an have spoken highly of China's efforts and shared their views on the future of cultural heritage protection in Asia.

Tiong King Sing, Malaysia's minister of tourism, arts and culture, applauded the formation of the Asian Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation, as he believes an integral part of ensuring the sustainability of cultural activities and by-products is appropriate funding mechanisms.

Fareena Mazhar, secretary of Pakistan's National Heritage and Culture Division, said increased collaboration among ACHA members is crucial for promoting mutual understanding, building bridges of friendship, and strengthening cultural exchanges.

"By promoting cultural cooperation, we can build a strong cultural bond among members, which can foster mutual understanding and respect," he said.