(I) Organization and purpose of world cultural heritage

World cultural heritage belongs to the category of world heritage, which is called "world cultural and natural heritage" in full. In 1972, UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage in Paris, and established the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, whose purpose is to promote cooperation among countries and peoples, and to protect and restore it rationally.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is an intergovernmental organization, consisting of 21 member countries. It meets once a year to decide which heritages can be inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to supervise and guide the protection of the listed world heritages. The Committee consists of seven members, the presidium of the World Heritage Committee, which meets twice a year to prepare for the work of the Committee. The World Heritage Committee undertakes four main tasks:

1. It is responsible for explaining the definition of world heritage when selecting the cultural and natural heritage sites listed in the World Heritage List;

2. Review the report on the status of world heritage protection. When the heritage is not properly handled and protected, the Committee allows the state party to take special protection measures;

3. After consultation with relevant States parties, the Committee made a decision to include the endangered heritage in the List of World Heritage in Danger;

4. Manage the World Heritage Fund (World Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection Fund). Give technical and financial assistance to countries that apply for assistance to protect their heritage. The Convention provides for the establishment of.

By the end of 22, 175 countries or regions have joined the World Heritage Convention and become contracting parties, which is one of the conventions with the largest number of contracting parties at present. Since China became a party to the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1985, China and UNESCO have enjoyed good cooperative relations in the field of world heritage protection.

(II) Concept and types of world heritage

The symbol of the World Heritage Convention symbolizes the interdependence between cultural heritage and natural heritage. The square in the center is the shape created by human beings, and the circle represents nature. The two are closely connected. This sign is round, symbolizing both the whole world and protection.

World heritage is divided into five categories: natural heritage, cultural heritage, mixture of natural heritage and cultural heritage (i.e. dual heritage), cultural landscape and intangible heritage established in recent years. By the end of 23, there were 754 world heritages in 128 countries, including 582 cultural heritages, 149 natural heritages and 23 dual cultural and natural heritages.

Cultural Heritage

According to the Convention, cultural heritage can be classified as one of the following categories:

Cultural relics: buildings, sculptures and paintings with outstanding and universal value from the historical, artistic or scientific point of view, elements or structures with archaeological significance, inscriptions, caves, settlements and the synthesis of various cultural relics;

architectural complex: from the historical, artistic or scientific point of view, because of its architectural form, identity and its position in the landscape, it has outstanding and universal value;

Sites: man-made projects or masterpieces of man and nature with outstanding and universal value and archaeological sites from the perspective of history, aesthetics, ethnology or anthropology.

Any cultural heritage project nominated for inclusion in the World Heritage List must meet one or more of the following criteria before it can be approved:

1. It represents a unique artistic achievement and a creative masterpiece;

2. It can have a great influence on the development of architectural art, memorial art, town planning or landscape design in a certain period of time or in a certain cultural area of the world;

3. It can provide a unique or at least special witness for a vanished civilization or cultural tradition;

4. It can be used as an outstanding example of a building, a group of buildings or a landscape to show an important stage (or stages) in the history of access;

5. It can be used as an outstanding example of traditional human habitation or place of use, representing one (or several) cultures, especially under the influence of irreversible changes.

6. It has direct or substantial connection with events with special universal significance or current traditions or ideas or beliefs or literary and artistic works.

Natural Heritage

The Convention defines natural heritage as one of the following provisions:

From an aesthetic or scientific point of view, the natural features with outstanding and universal value are composed of geological and biological structures or such structural groups;

from the scientific or conservation point of view, geological and natural geographical structures with outstanding and universal values and clearly defined ecological zones of endangered animal and plant species;

From the point of view of science, protection or natural beauty, there are only natural places of outstanding and universal value or clearly defined natural zones.

Natural heritage projects listed in the World Heritage List must meet one or more of the following criteria and be approved:

1. They constitute outstanding examples representing important stages in the history of earth evolution;

2. It constitutes an outstanding example representing the important geological process, biological evolution process and the relationship between human beings and the natural environment;

3. Unique, rare or wonderful natural phenomena, landforms or areas with rare natural beauty;

4. Habitat of rare or endangered species of animals and plants.

cultural landscape and other

cultural landscapes were put forward at the 16th session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Santa Fe, USA in December 1992 and included in the World Heritage List. Cultural landscape represents the "works of nature and human beings" expressed in Article 1 of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The choice of cultural landscapes should be based on their outstanding and universal values, the representativeness of their clearly defined geographical-cultural areas and their ability to reflect the basic and unique cultural factors of such areas. It usually embodies the modern technology of lasting land use and maintains or improves the natural value of the landscape. Protecting the existing cultural landscape is helpful to protect biodiversity. Generally speaking, there are the following types of cultural landscapes:

landscapes intentionally designed and built by human beings. Including gardens and parks built for aesthetic reasons, they are often (but not always) associated with religious or other memorial buildings or buildings.

the landscape of organic evolution. It originated from the initial social, economic, administrative and religious needs, and developed to the present form through the connection or adaptation with the surrounding natural environment. It also includes two sub-categories: one is the remnant (or fossil) landscape, which represents an evolutionary process that has ended in the past, whether it is sudden or gradual. The reason why they have outstanding and universal value lies in the fact that their distinctive features are still reflected in the physical objects. Second, the sustainable landscape, which maintains a positive social role in today's society linked with the traditional lifestyle, is still in the process of its own evolution, and at the same time shows the physical evidence of its evolution and development in history.

related cultural landscape. this kind of landscape is listed in the world heritage list and is characterized by its connection with natural factors, strong religion, art or culture, rather than cultural material evidence. At present, there are not many cultural landscapes listed in the World Heritage List, and Lushan Scenic Area is the only cultural landscape in China's "World Heritage". In addition, once the historical sites and natural landscapes listed in the World Heritage List are seriously threatened, they can be listed in the World Heritage List in Danger after investigation and deliberation by the World Heritage Committee, pending emergency rescue measures.

Intangible cultural heritage

refers to all creations from a certain cultural community, which are based on tradition, expressed by a certain group or some individuals, and are considered to meet the expectations of the community as the expression forms of their cultural and social characteristics; Norms and values are passed down orally by imitation or other means. Its forms include: language, literature, music, dance, games, myths, etiquette, habits, handicrafts, architecture and other arts. China's Kunqu Opera has been included in the World Heritage List as an intangible cultural heritage.

China World Cultural Heritage List

Forbidden City in Ming and Qing Dynasties: cultural heritage, listed in 1987, Summer Palace in Beijing: cultural heritage, listed in 1998, Temple of Heaven in Beijing: cultural heritage, listed in 1998, Great Wall in Beijing: cultural heritage, listed in 1987, Beijing

. Beijing

chengde mountain resort and its surrounding temples: cultural heritage, listed in 1994, Hebei

Pingyao Ancient City: cultural heritage, listed in 1997, Shanxi

Qufu Confucius Temple: cultural heritage, listed in 1994, Shandong

Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes: cultural heritage, listed in 1987, Gansu < In 1987,

Suzhou Ancient Music Garden in Shaanxi Province: Cultural Heritage, in 1997,

Wudang Mountain Ancient Architecture Complex in Jiangsu Province: Cultural Heritage, in 1994,

Potala Palace in Lhasa, Hubei Province: Cultural Heritage, in 1994, and Xizang Autonomous Region

Old Town of Lijiang: Cultural Heritage, in 1997, Yunnan.

Huangshan Mountain in Shandong Province: natural and cultural heritage, listed in 199; Emei Mountain-Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area in Anhui Province: natural and cultural heritage, listed in 1996; Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area in Sichuan Province: natural heritage, listed in 1992; Huanglong Scenic Area in Sichuan Province: natural heritage, listed in 1992.

Lushan Mountain Scenic Spot in Hunan Province: world cultural landscape, listed in 1995; Wuyishan Scenic Spot in Jiangxi Province: natural and cultural heritage, listed in 1999; Longmen Grottoes in Fujian Province: cultural heritage, listed in 2; Qingcheng Mountain-Dujiangyan in Henan Province: cultural heritage, listed in 2; Sichuan Province.

imperial tombs of the ming and qing dynasties, Anhui Province: cultural heritage, (Ming tombs in Hubei, Qing tombs in Hebei and Qing tombs in Hebei) was listed in 2, (Ming Tombs in Beijing and ming tomb in Nanjing) was listed in 23

Yungang Grottoes: cultural heritage, and was listed in 21, and Koguryo Wangcheng, Wangling and noble tombs in Shanxi Province: cultural heritage.

Parallel Rivers in Macao Special Administrative Region: Natural Heritage, listed in 23, Giant Panda Habitat in Yunnan Province: Natural Heritage, listed in 26, Yinxu in Anyang, Sichuan Province: Historical and Cultural Heritage, listed on July 13, 26, Diaolou and Village in Kaiping, Henan Province: Cultural Heritage, listed on June 28, 27, Guangdong.