Cultural Heritage Protection
Cultural Heritage Protection
China advocates for cultural heritage protection and dialogue among civilisations, Cambodia's Cultural Heritage Protection Framework, US returns ancient artefacts looted from Cambodia and Indonesia.
China acts as an active advocate for cultural heritage protection and dialogue among civilizations: experts
By Chen Xi (Global Times)
China boasts 57 World Heritage Sites, ranking the second in the world. Among them are 14 natural heritage sites and four mixed cultural and natural heritage sites, both ranking the first in the world with a total area of 70,600 square kilometres.
With its rapid increase in the number of world heritage sites, China has emerged as one of the fastest-growing countries in this domain, National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced on the day of Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, which falls on Saturday.
The year 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of China joining the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Under the guidance of the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA), the opening ceremony of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day was unveiled at Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province.
The 78th session of the UN General Assembly on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution proposed by China to establish the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, according to the Xinhua News Agency on Friday.
The resolution calls for "equal dialogue and mutual respect" among different civilizations, fully reflecting the core essence of the Global Civilization Initiative. It decides to designate June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations.
Officials and experts have noted that this resolution coincides with the launch of diverse cultural activities across the country for celebrating the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, highlighting China's role as an active advocate for cultural heritage protection and dialogue among civilisations.
Li Qun, vice minister of culture and tourism and head of the NCHA, stressed the importance of implementing major projects, including tracing the origin of Chinese civilisation project and the archaeology in China project at the opening ceremony in Shenyang. These projects rely on archaeological findings to deepen the understanding of China's extended history.
He also called for deepening the Asian cultural heritage protection actions, practicing global civilisation initiatives, and promoting international exchanges and cooperation.
Liu Weicai, director of the Liaoning Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, told the Global Times that this is the first time that the main venue of Cultural and Natural Heritage Day has been in Northeast China, and it holds a great significance as Northeast China is the birthplace of Hongshan Culture as well as an important revolutionary base.
Jointly organized by the NCHA and the Liaoning Provincial Government, an exhibition themed with Hongshan Culture and Chinese Civilization, has opened on the day.
Hongshan Culture is China's most well-known Neolithic culture dating back between 5,000 and 6,500 years in Northeast China.
Jia Xiaobing, director of the world archaeological research office at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Saturday that archaeology is one of the best ways to understand the core of the traditional culture of a nation.
As the Chinese head of the joint archaeological project between China and Egypt, Jia said the international cooperation of Chinese archaeology is an essential component in implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, promoting international exchanges and cooperation.
It is only through mutual in-depth understanding and profound comprehension that we can better carry out dialogues among civilisations, achieve cultural exchange and mutual learning, and effectively promote the goal of building a community of shared future for all mankind, Jia added.
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US returns ancient artefacts looted from Cambodia, Indonesia
New York district attorney accuses two prominent art dealers of the illegal trafficking of antiquities worth $3m.
The antiquities were valued at a total of $3m, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement on Friday. Bragg said he had returned 27 pieces to Phnom Penh and three to Jakarta in two recent repatriation ceremonies, including a bronze statue of the Hindu deity Shiva, which was looted from Cambodia, and a stone bas-relief sculpture of two royal figures from the Majapahit empire, which reigned between the 13th and 16th centuries, that was stolen from Indonesia.
Bragg accused American art dealers Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener of participating in the illegal trafficking of the antiquities.
American-Indian Kapoor – who was accused of running a network that trafficked items stolen in Southeast Asia and put them on sale in his Manhattan gallery – has been the target of a United States justice investigation dubbed “Hidden Idol” for more than a decade.
Kapoor was arrested in Germany in 2011 and then sent to India where he stood trial and was sentenced in November 2022 to 13 years in prison.
Responding to a US indictment for conspiracy to traffic in stolen works of art, Kapoor denied the charges.
Major trafficking hub
New York is a major trafficking hub for stolen and looted antiquities, and several works have been seized in recent years from museums, including the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art, and private collectors.
“We are continuing to investigate the wide-ranging trafficking networks that … target Southeast Asian antiquities,” Bragg said in the statement.
“There is clearly still much more work to do.”
Wiener, who was sentenced in 2021 for trafficking in stolen works of art, sought to sell the bronze Shiva statute but eventually donated the piece to the Denver Museum of Art in Colorado in 2007.
The antiquity was seized by the New York courts in 2023.
Cambodia’s ambassador to the US, Keo Chhea, welcomed the return of the artefacts, calling it “a renewal of commitment between nations to safeguard the soul of our shared heritage”.
“Through this united effort, we ensure the preservation of our collective past for future generations,” he said in the statement issued by New York’s district attorney.
Indonesia’s representative in New York, Consul General Winanto Adi, also praised Bragg’s effort, saying it served as a “precious gift” as the US and Indonesia celebrated the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.
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