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“Dialogue with The Next 50”, the Past, Present and Future of Culture and Heritage
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the UNESCO 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, UNESCO, in collaboration with Phoenix TV and Hangzhou Municipal Government, organized the “Dialogue with the Next 50” event on 15 June 2023. The event is the first and only live-streamed event in the Asia-Pacific region. Hosted by Ms. Tian Chuan from Phoenix TV, this engaging event brought together Prof Shahbaz Khan (Director of UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia), Mr. Xu Zhiyuan (Writer, Founder of OW Space), Ms. Mao Weitao (Yue Opera Artist, National Intangible Culture Heritage Bearer, and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Theatre Association), and Mr. Lu Wenyu (Architect, Founder of Amateur Architecture Studio) for an insightful conversation about the future of culture and heritage, envisioning “The Next 50”.
Connection with Hangzhou
The event was held near the Gongchen Bridge in Gongshu District, Hangzhou. The hot air of the early summer afternoon, together with the fragrance of tea, kicked off the dialogue. Hangzhou, for Prof Shahbaz Khan, is a spiritual haven for tea and conversation with friends, and has been attractive to him as home to three World Heritage sites. For Ms. Mao Weitao, Hangzhou has the “cradle of the Grand Canal”, is the origin of “the Legend of the White Snake”, and "Oedipus the King" of the Yaoshan Altar. It’s "a huge gentle town" for Mr. Xu Zhiyuan, with West Lake and the Grand Canal where "a green snake is encountered by chance". Personally accompanied the journey of Hangzhou’s World Heritage, Ms. Lu pondered upon the Southern Song Dynasty Street and reflected on the Hangzhou China National Archives of Publications and Culture by the Liangzhu Archeological site that she and her husband recently designed.
“The last 50” of the World Heritage Convention
The World Heritage movement has developed rapidly in the past century, thanks to which the global community has reached a consensus that the world cultural and natural heritage does not only belong to a city or a country, but is a common heritage of the mankind. In Prof Khan’s views, China’s 56 World Heritage sites are located in different places, but they are always related to each other. For example, the Grand Canal is not only related to the cities Hangzhou and Beijing at its two endpoints, but there are many cities along the way. At the same time, China's innovative practices in heritage protection and management demonstrated by the Grand Canal can also be learned by the world.
Preservation and utilization, safeguarding and innovation
In the field of heritage, "preservation and utilization, safeguarding and innovation" has always been a hot topic, and the guests interpreted the issue by sharing their different practices. Ms. Mao Weitao took the re-creation of "The Butterfly Lovers" as an example to explain what she believes – “innovation is equally important to safeguarding, only in this way can we keep the Yue opera alive”. Ms. Lu Wenyu positioned “innovation” as a priority and is willing to "test" the reinterpretation of traditional techniques in every architectural work. Mr. Xu Zhiyuan believes that "yesterday, today and tomorrow always coexist", and the key to preservation lies in the creation of "new stories" related to heritage by each generation.
Public awareness and engagement
While sharing and transmission are two important aspects of heritage, much remains to be done to ensure that heritage is truly accessible to everyone, and in particular to the young generation. Ms. Mao actively participates in the promotion of Yue opera culture through new media. For example, the game character Shangguan Wan'er in "Honor of Kings" became her apprentice. Her participation in "The Voice of China-Special Season of Shaoxing Opera", and creation of immersive opera "New Dragon Inn" also contributed to keeping the ancient opera tradition relevant to the modern day’s youth. Ms. Lu innovatively chose to retain the indigenous residents during the construction of Southern Song Dynasty Street, so the whole project is accompanied by interaction with the public.
Sustainable development
There are currently 52 World Heritage Sites in danger, and Prof Khan pointed out that climate change has become the primary challenge for heritage preservation. In order to cope with the increasingly severe challenges, he believed that we should adhere to the 5C Strategic Objectives of the World Heritage Convention – Credibility, Conservation, Capacity-building, Communication, and Communities. Ms. Lu Wenyu thought it is necessary to “leave space for nature to allow architecture to grow together with nature". Mr. Xu Zhiyuan claimed that "embracing diverse cultures, values and conflicts" is a way towards sustainability.
Beyond "The next 50", the "dialogue" to be continued
Envisioning "The next 50", Ms. Mao Weitao hoped that "in the future, Yue Opera will not become an art showcasing in a window, but it is living, dynamic and vital". Prof Khan wished that in the next 50 years, he can "see a world where all heritage is cherished and preserved, and the list of world heritage in danger will no longer exist".
Mr. Xu Zhiyuan believed that only when an individual has a personal connection with heritage can a real "dialogue" occur. And "dialogue" is an eternal thing, such as the dialogue between the five guests, the dialogue with the audience off-screen, such as the "dialogue" between Ms. Lu Wenyu and nature when she works on every architectural project.
In "the Next 50", UNESCO, together with Phoenix TV, look forward to your new "dialogue" and stories with the heritage! Phoenix TV fully leveraged its global media capabilities to raise awareness of cultural and heritage preservation in China and worldwide. Please watch the program through the platforms below:
