NPC | Chinese legislators discuss cultural heritage protection

Iong Weng Ian at an event at City U

Chinese legislators discussed a report this week on cultural heritage work submitted to the ongoing bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC).

Some legislators were concerned that cultural heritage work has become an insular process that largely disregards the ultimate goal: informing and enhancing the public’s knowledge of their own cultural heritage. These legislators expect that the works should be more people-oriented.

Deputy to the NPC and local delegate Iong Weng Ian, as cited in a report by the press agency, Xinhua, suggested making better use of social resources.

“Hopefully, we’ll take them into further consideration, whether they’re from the Chinese mainland or overseas Chinese,” she said.

“Many overseas Chinese are actually keen on making their own contributions to the protection of Chinese antiques,” the delegate continued.

Her calls were in line with the report, which suggested further cooperation with other countries and for Hong Kong and Macau to enhance China’s “soft power.”

According to the report, over the past five years China’s international exchanges in cultural heritage have had nearly 300 exhibitions of Chinese antiques held abroad, and more than 100 foreign exhibitions held in China.

China has signed bilateral treaties and memorandums of understanding on cultural heritage with several countries.

Meanwhile Yang Bangjie, member of the NPC Standing Committee noted that there are antiques stored in several places but not exhibited.

“It makes it hard for us to appreciate the antiques and do research, as many of them cannot be approached and inventories are obscure,” he argued.

Wang Gang, another member of the Standing Committee, compared China
with Europe, where the interpretation of cultural heritage is often
combined with things such as philosophy, technological
evolution and history. He noted that while the protection of cultural heritage is the top priority, its ultimate goal is to strengthen the knowledge of the public on its cultural heritage. LV