News

Mayoral forum addresses heritage protection

By Xiao Yang (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-23 08:07

Mayors and representatives from 16 countries and regions pose for picture at the Mayor's Forum. Photos by Yang Yijun / China Daily

Mayors and representatives from 16 countries and regions gathered at a Nanjing mayoral forum Oct 21 to discuss cultural heritage preservation.

"China is in a period of rapid urbanization, during which more and more historical relics are disappearing," said Zhang Jianfei, mayor of Changsha of Hunan province.

"It's crucial to protect our culture during the development of cities. I believe the preservation of historical relics is a priority."

Nanjing Mayor Ji Jianye pointed out the role of city leaders in preserving cultural heritage.

"We should respect history, culture and our ancestors. We will be able to protect our heritage only after we bear in mind respect."

"In the meantime, the government should form a cultural heritage data base, which is like a city's DNA bank," Ji added.

"The 2,000 cultural heritage sites in Nanjing are invaluable, and we must protect them."

Yangzhou, another historical city in Jiangsu province, aims to establish 100 museums by the end of 2020 to display the city's culture in different perspectives.

"We have created tablets with simple but vivid introductions to our major cultural relics so that more citizens can know their history," said Zhang Aijun, deputy mayor of Yangzhou.

Alexander Tschppt, mayor of Bern, Switzerland - included in UNESCO's catalog of cultural heritage sites 30 years ago - shared his experience balancing preservation and development.

"We have probably the best public transportation in the world, so we don't hope to have many cars in our city," he said.

In Bern, over 70 percent of citizens travel by public transportation, and over 80 percent own bicycles.

"Encouraging alternative transport not only lowers traffic pressure, but also reduces noise pollution," said Tschppt.

"Given all our heritage sites, we don't want the city to be too modern. So, 53 percent of the city is green space," he added.

Wolfgang Meyer, mayor of Goettingen, Germany, believes cultural works are a compulsory and permanent task.

"Just as we guarantee the social protection of our citizens or the supply of energy, we want and shall meet their cultural demands," he said.

"But it is a rewarding task, because cultural education enables self fulfillment and individual development," he continued.

"We should not only be the trustees of cultural heritage, but enhance it for future generations."

During the forum, mayors signed the Nanjing Declaration, emphasizing the importance of a city's culture and calling for better cultural heritage preservation.

The forum was staged in conjunction with the World Historical and Cultural Cities Expo.

(China Daily 10/23/2010 page6)