Trainings opened to preserve world cultural heritage in Lijiang

The first UNESCO-CACH Capacity Building Workshop for World Cultural Heritage in China opens in the Old Town of Lijiang on April 23. [Photo/cach.org.cn]

The first UNESCO-CACH Capacity Building Workshop for World Cultural Heritage in China opened in the Old Town of Lijiang on April 23.

Thirty-one participants from world heritage site management institutions across China as well as experts and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, Sun Yat-Sen University and Minzu University of China attended the workshop, which was themed on the management and monitoring of significant heritage sites.

During the five-day training, people will discuss monitoring and risk management of world cultural heritage sites and tourism impact management and monitoring, among other topics.

Experts and trainees will also conduct investigations in the three sections in Lijiang included on the World Heritage list - Dayan, Basha and Shuhe -- to get particular knowledge of how the Old Town of Lijiang should preserve and manage its cultural heritage.

Tong Mingkang, former deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China talks about cultural heritage site protection at the training. [Photo/cach.org.cn]

"The old town has explored a unique mode of tourism emphasizing development but also protecting its traditional cultural heritage, which has borne fruitful results and was listed as the "Lijiang mode" by UNESCO", said Mu Chonggen, executive vice-mayor of Lijaing.

Mu also expressed his wish that these kinds of cultural exchanges can be furthered to share good practices and experiences in the conservation and management of the world's cultural heritages.

The training was co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage and UNESCO's Beijing office with the support of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Focusing on heritage monitoring, value research and utilization of China's cultural heritage sites, the program aims to improve the abilities of the heritage site managers and enhance the role of monitoring to better serve the preservation of intangible cultural heritage.

The Old Town of Lijiang was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site on Dec 4, 1997.

The trainees and experts pose for a group photo in the Old Town of Lijiang on April 23. [Photo by He Hongyan/xinhuanet.com.cn]