BEIJING, Sept. 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's world, where the
futures of all countries are closely linked, development, security
and civilization play important roles in promoting the
modernization process of human society. The Global Development
Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global
Civilization Initiative (GCI), proposed by Chinese President Xi
Jinping, offer profound insights into the issues of our time. The
Global Times invites scholars to provide readers both at home and
abroad with an in-depth understanding of these three initiatives.
This is the fourth article in the series.
Civilizations are enriched through exchanges and diversified
through mutual learning. In March
2014, President Xi Jinping emphasized at the UNESCO
headquarters in Paris that
"exchanges and mutual learning form an important drive for human
progress and global peace and development." The Global Civilization
Initiative (GCI) represents a further development of this thought.
In March 2023, President Xi proposed
the GCI at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties
High-level Meeting, with the first point stating: "We advocate the
respect for the diversity of civilizations. Countries need to
uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and
inclusiveness among civilizations, and let cultural exchanges
transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and
coexistence transcend feelings of superiority."
The World Heritage List: an important platform showcasing human
civilization diversity
The UNESCO World Heritage program, based on the Convention
concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage,
serves as an important platform for showcasing the diversity of
human civilization and promoting mutual understanding, respect, and
dialogue between cultures. As of August
2024, 196 countries have joined the Convention, with 1,223
sites from 168 countries listed as World Heritage.
The significance of World Heritage extends beyond mere protection.
The UNESCO World Heritage refers to its five C's, which constitute
the "strategic objectives" of the World Heritage Convention:
credibility, conservation, capacity-building, communication and
communities. The fifth "C," which was added in 2007, refers to the
important role of the communities in establishing the World
Heritage List and in the daily management, promotion and
development of World Heritage. These initiatives have further
highlighted the contemporary value of World Heritage.
The World Heritage List reflects global recognition and
appreciation of different cultures, showcasing the achievements of
human civilization. It also embodies the contemporary value and
significance of these civilizations, prompting a strong desire
among countries to include their heritage on the World Heritage
List.
According to the regional classification of World Heritage, the
world is divided into five regions: Europe and North
America, Asia and the
Pacific, Latin America and the
Caribbean, Africa, and the Arab States. The Europe and North
America region, representing Western civilization, holds a
significant numerical advantage on the World Heritage List, which
undoubtedly illustrates the recognition of Western culture in
today's world.
The Asia and Pacific region has
the second-largest number of inscribed cultural sites. Meanwhile,
recently, the Arab States region has shown strong growth in its
representation on the World Heritage List.
For various reasons, Africa's
heritage has long been relatively underrepresented on the World
Heritage List. In response, UNESCO has prioritized Africa, urging contracting states to support
capacity building for the protection of World Heritage on the
continent and to engage in cooperative management efforts. This
collaboration fosters dialogue between civilizations and promotes
mutual learning among cultures. Additionally, China is involved in enhancing cooperation
with Africa in the realm of World
Heritage.
China's World Heritage projects
systematically showcase Chinese civilization
China joined the Convention
Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage in 1985 and is now the country with the second -largest
number of World Heritage Sites. After nearly 40 years of
development, China's World
Heritage projects have begun to systematically represent Chinese
civilization. This representation encompasses a range of historical
periods, from prehistoric civilizations to various dynasties and
modern times, as well as traditional belief systems, the cultural
diversity of its multi-ethnic society, regional cultural diversity,
and the great achievements of ancient engineering.
The Beijing Central Axis, added to the World Heritage List in 2024,
is a masterpiece of China's ideal
urban order. It showcases the enduring influence of traditional
planning concepts and their underlying philosophical ideas on the
city's layout, highlighting the continuity of Chinese civilization.
In the context of World Heritage, although there has been a focus
since the 1990s on the role of heritage in witnessing the
continuity of civilization and cultural traditions, there are few
practical cases that express this continuity through heritage. The
components of the Beijing Central Axis, spanning from the 13th
century to the early 21st century, represent a breakthrough in
existing evaluation standards.
The process of nominating the Beijing Central Axis for World
Heritage status is a successful example of value communication and
international exchange. During this process, the value expressed in
the application text for the Beijing Central Axis was not only
understood and recognized by representatives from various countries
on the World Heritage Committee, international expert consultants,
and UNESCO officials, but the nomination effort also received their
support.
China's World Heritage Sites
clearly express the common human values of upholding the principles
of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among
civilizations
In 2017, Gulangyu island in East China's Fujian Province, renowned for its varied
architecture and multicultural history, was included on the UNESCO
World Heritage List. The value of Gulangyu island emphasizes its
presentation of extensive and in-depth exchanges between Chinese
traditional culture, local culture and diverse foreign cultures in
social life, architectural garden design and construction, artistic
style, and modern technology. This serves as a concentrated
expression of the exchange, mutual learning, and integration of
human values in the coastal areas of East
Asia and Southeast Asia
during the early stages of globalization.
As the world enters the second decade of the 21st century, various
conflicts have created significant uncertainty. The value of
Gulangyu island clearly exemplifies the inclusiveness of Chinese
civilization and sets an example for mutual respect and dialogue
among different civilizations today.
Director-general of UNESCO Irina Bokova once commented: "Although
Gulangyu island is small in area, it is of great value and profound
cultural heritage, which reflects the dialogue between different
cultures and faiths. This dialogue can help people all over the
world understand and practice the value of respect and tolerance
and appreciate diversity. This is an important classroom for global
citizenship."
In summary, World Heritage serves as an important platform for
dialogue and mutual understanding among civilizations as well as
the main stage for implementing GCI. China's World Heritage showcases the country's
historical and cultural values, promotes global understanding of
Chinese civilization, and fosters China's appreciation of other
civilizations.
Lü Zhou, the group leader for text compiling on the Beijing
Central Axis World Heritage application team and director of the
National Heritage Center of Tsinghua University.
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SOURCE Global Times