The foundation will shortly be adding a new section to 'Rock Art of Huashan: The Sacred Meeting Place for Sky, Water & Earth' assessing the impact of the World Heritage Designation Campaign on the Huashan rock art area. This will be based on the further research of Gao Qian, the author of the Huashan section.
Since China ratified the UNESCO 1972 World Heritage Convention in 1985, it has successfully inscribed 47 sites on the World Heritage List, ranking second in the world. 33 out of 47 are cultural heritage sites, but so far no rock art site in China has been designated as a World Heritage. In contrast to the absence of Chinese rock art sites on the World Heritage List, China has an abundance of rock art heritage. Rock art sites have been found in 29 out of 34 Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. Among all the rock art sites discovered in China is the splendid Huashan rock art area, which consists of 81 rock art sites distributed along the Zuojiang River in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. With a history of about 1800-2500 years, the Huashan rock art area is well-known as the prototypical representative of the rock art heritage in southwestern China. The Huashan rock art area is the crucial component of the 'Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape' - China's strong candidature for the UNESCO World Heritage designation in 2016.
The forthcoming section will look at three main elements: revitalizing local ethnic culture, enhancing authoritative awareness and regulating tourism development.
To view the Huashan section:
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/china/huashan/index.php
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