China Culture Daily:

Ancient buildings and modern representative buildings are important types of cultural relics within China, which are located in towns and villages throughout the country. Can you talk in detail about the protection and management of cultural relic buildings in China? Thank you.

Guan Qiang:

Questions related to architecture will be answered by Mr. Deng Chao.

Deng Chao:

Thanks to this reporter for their question. Our department has a special section called the section of cultural relic buildings. Ancient buildings and modern representative buildings are collectively called "cultural-relics buildings." Cultural relic buildings account for 62% of key historical and cultural sites under national-level protection and 53% of the 766,722 immovable cultural relics, with the total number having surpassed 400,000 and showing a large quantity and diverse array of types.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have used the special funds arranged by the central government for the restoration of over 1,000 key historical and cultural sites under the national-level protection, continuing to improve the protection of cultural relics. In addition, we have carried out strict controls and regulations as well as have given high-level guidance for activities around cultural relic buildings to sustain cultural roots in urban and rural areas. In other words, we protect not only the cultural relics themselves but also the surrounding environments. During this period, a large number of cultural relic buildings have become the locomotive for urban and rural rejuvenation, and the protection and utilization of cultural relic buildings have become the "touchstone" for the high-quality development of old downtown areas, old streets and old villages and towns. At the same time, in recent years, according to developments on the cause of cultural relics, we have not only focused on the protection and renovation of key historical and cultural sites under the national-level protection but have also extended the cause to the construction of a disaster prevention, mitigation and relief system for cultural relics as well as the exploration of preventive conservation paths, making arrangements for and implementing pilot programs for preventive conservation. In particular, we have paid attention to the protection of lower grade cultural relics, continued carrying out actions to save old houses and have launched a three-year action plan for the protection of covered bridges. Recently, we have supported the use of special lottery funds of the central government and general bonds issued by local governments for the protection and repair of lower grade cultural relic buildings. All these efforts have effectively improved the overall protection of cultural relic buildings.

After the establishment of funds for the protection of cultural relics from the central government, a number of important cultural relic buildings such as Peking Union Medical College and former residence of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang have been rejuvenated after recent renovations, with obvious progress having been achieved. Great progress has been made in the protection of cultural relic buildings in recent years, but, realistically speaking, there is still much to be achieved in the protection, research and working systems and mechanisms for cultural relic buildings. In the next step, we will advance work in the following two aspects in accordance with the requirements of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

Firstly, we will continue advancing reforms. We will take the revised version of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics as an opportunity to organize a revision of "The Measures on the Administration of Cultural Relics Protection Projects" as well as will put forward reform measures, make overall plans and overcome difficulties related to tendering and bidding as well as building materials for cultural relic buildings, including the issue of craftsmen, which are of great concern to all sectors of society. We will promote the establishment of a technical supervision system for protection projects; strengthen resources of cultural relic buildings in world heritage, key historical and cultural sites under national-level protection and provincial-level institutes for the protection, study and management of ancient buildings; promote the construction of relevant disciplines; and strengthen the training of reserve talents for cultural-relic buildings.

In addition, we will strengthen systematic protection and research protection, compile the special plan for the preservation and research of cultural relic buildings during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and launch the project of China Rebuilding. We will promote high-level protection, research and display based on a number of major cultural relic building renovation projects, such as Shanxi's Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, also known as the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple,. At the same time, in this process, we will not only protect and display the profound value of buildings, statues, murals, inscriptions and color paintings, as well as their research histories and protection histories, but will also protect the surrounding environments, ancient and famous trees and cultural landscapes that coexist with these buildings, including intangible cultural heritage, so as to promote the high-quality development of work related to cultural relic buildings. Thank you!