China's burgeoning tourism and construction sectors, which pose a growing threat to the country's World Heritage sites, have compelled preservation authorities to launch a comprehensive inspection of the historical relics.
The two-month-long inspection, which began this week, consists of examining and appraising the present state of 14 sites on the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) before 1996.
China has 28 sites on the UNESCO heritage list.
Based on the inspection, the country will submit a report on conservation conditions to UNESCO. The committee will examine and respond to the report.
The committee can ask for international co-operation and assistance, designate sites as being at risk, or even ask for the site to be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
So far, 33 heritage sites worldwide, such as the Everglades National Park and Yellowstone National Park of the United States, have been placed on the list.
None of China's 28 world heritage sites have been listed as endangered. However, various threats, especially saturated tourism areas and construction, are spoiling their status, and if effective measures are not taken, these sites may soon be placed on the endangered heritage list, experts warned.
In September 1998, after an investigation into the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area in Central China's Hunan Province, officials with UNESCO criticized local leaders for turning the spot into an isolated park for booming tourism.
In addition, the narrowing riverbeds were also threatened by an influx of roads, restaurants and hotels along the riverside.
Another report revealed that the ecological and visual landscape of Huangshan Mountain in East China's Anhui Province is under threat due to excessive construction.
Too many hotels, shops and entertainment centres around the mountain area blight its natural facade and wreck its picturesque landscapes, the report said.
Professor Xie Ninggao, director of the World Heritage Research Centre at Peking University, said trying to commercialize and urbanize these World Heritage sites will severely damage them, causing grave consequences.
Xie said if nothing was done to change the situation, it was possible these sites would soon go on to the endangered World Heritage list.
Fortunately, increasingly more areas with heritage sites have a better understanding of the importance of preservation work and have taken measures to curb extensive tourism and construction to assure future generations can inherit the treasures of the past.
(China Daily July 19, 2002)
