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北京大学英语新闻网/Peking University News
China boasts of its vast-stretching land with bountiful cultural and natural heritage.
The protection of the heritage, like environmental protection, has become a global
knotty issue.
How to prolong the value of mankind heritage? Li Wenhua answered, ―Mankind
heritage is diversified. So long as heritage can be protected under the guideline of
sustainable development, the value can last.‖
He took kunqu opera as an example. Kunqu opera gradually faded away before
people knew its significance. If we had valued, propagated and developed it
properly, it could have been known by people throughout China or even around the
world. As regards agricultural legacy, the original ―mulberry trees around fishpond‖
model plants mulberry trees on dikes. Nowadays, some places, tailoring to the need
of local markets, have developed ―flowers around fishpond‖ and ―sugar cane around
fishpond‖, etc. systems, which combines preservation and development. The key
point, however, lies in keeping it intact as much as possible.
Li Wenhua holds the opinion that, ―The exploitation and utilization of heritage should
be scientific and moderate. Whatever the conditions, heritage protection should
come first. This is also the essence of the protection of world heritage. Exhaustive
exploitation regardless of long-term interests would absolutely impair world heritage,
not to mention their sustainable development.‖
―Declaration of Heritage‖: Sharing our Treasure with the World
―Declaration of Heritage‖ has become a hot topic at present. Although China did not
join in the UNESCO until 1985 and only began to apply for World Natural and
Cultural Heritage List from 1986, its unique advantage of rich resources has enabled
it to surpass the early starters. Up till now, China has had 35 world heritage
embodied in World Natural and Cultural Heritage List, ranking the 3rd worldwide. All
local governments in China are eager to declare their treasure as world heritage.
Li Wenhua also aired his opinion here.
First and foremost, ―Declaration of Heritage‖ is a good thing. Any national or regional
heritage is not only one‘s own treasure, but the common wealth of the world. In the
course of social development, a large amount of valuable natural and cultural
heritage is endangered. The mankind shares the common objective to guard
heritage left by ancestors. Under the global context, understanding and
communication between nations should be strengthened and reinforced. As far as
heritage protection is concerned, people all around the world should help and
support each other, so as to protect the material and cultural basis of sustainable
development, thus promoting the harmonious co-existence between man and
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