Dr Kuanghan Li, director of our China Heritage Program, recently presented at the first “Pingyao Cultural Heritage International Exchange Week.” Conference participants explored our program enabling residents to restore and protect Pingyao’s unique historic courtyards.
Dr Li also presented and co-hosted a panel at the “ICOMOS – CIAV & ISCEAH 2019 Joint Annual Meeting & International Conference on Vernacular & Earthen Architecture towards Local Development.” Her emphasis on the need for multi-disciplinary cooperation for heritage conservation and engagement of communities for sustainable development truly fulfills our mission of protecting heritage beyond physical monuments.
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Founded by King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty in the 9th century BCE, Pingyao has witnessed centuries of change and development. Inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997, Pingyao still houses an estimated 4,000 Ming- and Qing-era courtyard buildings, along with numerous historic sites, temples, and institutions.
Yet since its World Heritage inscription in 1997, Pingyao Ancient City has undergone enormous changes. With the economic pressures brought about by modernization and the rapid growth of tourism, developments in Pingyao over the last 100 years have put pressure on the ancient city to conform to modern needs. As the city’s former prosperity has dwindled, many of its unique ancient structures have been demolished or modified, and local authorities are constrained by limited funding to protecting this endangered heritage.
To address these issues, Global Heritage Fund and the Pingyao County Government have undertaken a collaborative effort to better preserve the cultural heritage of Pingyao’s ancient city. Utilizing a variety of comprehensive and systematic approaches, GHF and our partners have implemented an integrated planning, conservation, and development program to protect the priceless cultural treasures of Pingyao’s ancient city.
Thanks to our work, a preservation incentive fund has been set up by the municipality. As of 2015, more than 80 courtyard houses had been restored, and an additional 30 homes are scheduled for restoration annually.
We have also completed a Master Conservation Plan and collaborated with UNESCO to print and disseminate the official preservation guidelines for Pingyao Ancient City in Chinese and in English. Additionally, workshops for conservation and maintenance of cultural heritage have also helped empower community members to protect Pingyao’s traditional artisan crafts and unique architecture.
Our work in Pingyao received the Global Vision Award for Preservation from Travel + Leisure and an Award of Merit from the UNESCO Asia Pacific Conservation Awards in 2015. These accomplishments are thanks to the hard work of leaders like Dr Li.
Thank you, Dr Li — and thank YOU for supporting our work empowering communities around the world.
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Photo of Pingyao Courtyard House © Wang Xiaodong