Pingyao Ancient City Conservation and Heritage Revitalization

Program Backgrounder

Shanxi, China

March, 2010

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Pingyao Ancient City Conservation and Heritage Revitalization

Program Backgrounder

The Need – Saving China’s Vanishing Heritage

As the world’s oldest continuous civilization, China is facing tremendous challenges in conserving its most important cultural heritage sites. Hundreds of ancient sites, historic cities and cultural landscapes are at risk of destruction by unchecked urban sprawl, encroachment, and pollution connected to China’s rapid development. Protecting China’s remaining ancient treasures without impeding development is a delicate balance.

Many of China’s most spectacular and vulnerable heritage sites are located in some of the poorest provinces in the country’s interior. Well-planned, responsible cultural tourism presents one of the best opportunities for economic betterment of local communities living close to world-class heritage sites and treasures. The emergence of a newly-rich middle class and ease of transportation have created a swell in domestic Chinese tourism. China’s National Tourist Office recorded more than 1 billion domestic travelers in 2006. The UN World Tourism Organization ranked China as the fourth visited country in 2006, attracting 49.6 million international tourist arrivals, and predicts it will become the number one international tourist destination by 2020.

GHF is working to build a sustainable, nationwide program to save China’s last remaining world-class heritage sites from destruction by the onslaught of mass tourism and unplanned development. GHF’s current projects in China are Foguang Temple and Pingyao Ancient City, both in Shanxi Province. GHF completed a project In Lijiang Ancient Town, Yunnan Province, where it was requested by UNESCO Asia Pacific to undertake a systematic process of planning and model conservation aimed at maintaining the historical integrity of this ancient Naxi tribe town.

Foguang Temple, Wutai Mountains Shanxi

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restore Ming and Qing dynasty courtyards for adaptive reuse, conduct classes in traditional crafts and building methods, and provide training for the management of cultural resources in Pingyao Ancient City. A representative historic area, Fanjia Jie, has been selected, and will be the first cluster of historic residences to be restored for both public and private uses as a model. This is an area with intact traditional streetscape and an ensemble of historic courtyard residences from the late Qing Dynasty to the Early Republic period. This historic area, with its outstanding courtyards, would form a vibrant, inner circle of arts and cultural offerings within the walls of the ancient city. The program would identify other special areas in the Ancient City for preservation and adaptive reuse. In addition, two courtyards not included in the historic district are being selected as pilot restoration projects. One courtyard will be converted into the official office for the GHF-Pingyao Cultural Heritage Development Program, and the other will serve as a visitor information center that will provide an overview of the collaborative program and our preservation goals for the Ancient City.

Working with the Pingyao County Government, academic and research institutions, GHF is supporting a comprehensive survey of the tangible and intangible cultural resources. This thorough survey will inform and enrich the Heritage Development Program and identify appropriate adaptive reuse of the historic buildings. Information collected will contribute to the development of a comprehensive interpretation plan.

A courtyard in Fanjia Jie

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Coupled with Pingyao’s application for an Asian Development Bank loan, the Heritage Development Program would greatly enhance the overall appeal of the city to tourists, attract a higher caliber of travelers, and increase the quality of life for local residents. GHF is providing technical expertise and assistance to the Pingyao County Government for a $12.5 million loan from the Asian Development Bank to conserve five of the largest and most important temples, excavate the ancient bridge and replenish the lake in the heart of the city, revitalize the South Street business district, and adaptively reuse an old factory for a community center. These two complementary efforts combined would infuse Pingyao with the funding and programmatic expertise to preserve the city’s precious heritage and elevate the quality of infrastructure.

Preserving Historic Courtyards and the Living Arts Based on Dr. Shao Yong’s Master Conservation Plan, the benefits of the Heritage Development Program would be three-fold. The Master Conservation Plan has identified, surveyed and prioritized the most significant and important architectural heritage structures. Investment in these courtyards will be based on the Global Heritage Fund’s UNESCO award-winning, public-private partnership program in Lijiang, Yunnan. Owners of the courtyards will play a significant role in the development of their business.

The courtyards in the Pingyao Cultural Heritage Development Program will be authentically restored and adapted for public and private uses. Private homes can serve as model residences to inspire other owners to faithfully restore and maintain their courtyard homes. Public uses may include: • Living heritage workshop • Artist studio • Performing arts center • Museum • Training school offering courses in foreign languages, heritage interpretation • Culinary workshops • Building crafts studios on traditional techniques such as stone, wood and brick carving Living heritage workshops where visitors can participate in and observe the creation of traditional crafts and specialty products such as lacquerware, artisanal foods, papercutting,

Local crafts woman

Stone carve

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cotton shoemaking, calligraphy and fine arts. In some of the larger historic courtyards, visitors can take beginner workshops or master classes to immerse themselves in the arts and cultures of Pingyao.

The Heritage Development Program will support the training for the remaining skilled craftspeople and artisans to pass on and preserve Pingyao’s unique living heritage of arts, crafts, cuisines and performing arts to the next generation. This integrated, sustainable program addresses the economic imbalance of the current tourism landscape, as well as preserves the last remaining endangered historic courtyards and living arts and cultural heritage, thereby realizing the authenticity and character of Pingyao Ancient City.

Expected Outcomes The Pingyao Cultural Heritage Development Program would provide the foundation to preserve and maintain the outstanding vernacular architecture, revitalize the ancient arts and crafts and stimulate the local community. The program would increase the stake for local residents in preservation, attract visitors who appreciate art and culture, and expand the tourism-related economic activities beyond the current limits of 3-4 main streets.

The Heritage Development Program is expected to increase the sales of Day Passes by visitors. It will create new cultural and economic opportunities for Pingyao, meeting the needs and expectations of the next level of tourists, and resulting in extended stays in Pingyao to participate in arts and cultural workshops in the restored courtyard buildings of the special historic areas. Proven Success in China GHF has led cultural conservation efforts in Lijiang, Yunnan, and created a new model for heritage conservation in the People's Republic of China. The Old Town of Lijiang was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 for its dramatic natural setting and harmonious fusion of different cultures within a historic urban landscape of exceptional quality and authenticity.

Working with the Lijiang government and UNESCO, GHF helped produce the first Master Conservation Plan (MCP) for the Old Town, which was approved and achieved legal status. It is a critical tool in ensuring the integrity of development and restoration in the Old Town.

temple in a residence

Courtyard wood carving detail

Local crafts woman

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Furthermore, GHF created the first public and privately-funded, Lijiang Trust for Conservation. The Trust provided for scientific conservation and planning tools with a subsidy incentive program for the authentic restoration of historic traditional Naxi tribe homes.

GHF has worked over the past five years to restore more than 174 traditional Naxi homes in partnership ship with 12 community wards and the Lijiang Ancient Town Management Committee. The 2007 UNESCO Second Award of Merit for this work is significant in its recognition of the public-private effort. The partnership between the residents, management authorities, external conservation experts and donors allow for a broad-based and participatory conservation approach within the framework of the overall World Heritage site conservation management plan. Similar to the Lijiang Ancient Town project, the Pingyao Cultural Heritage Development Program will enable local communities to build a foundation for sustainable success through conservation training, capacity building, and authentic preservation practice. This process empowers local residents to manage the site, local entrepreneurs to receive and generate funds, and local government to continue with site development and maintenance. The strong foundation of stakeholder involvement and site governance lends itself to the long-term economic viability of the region.

CONCLUSION

This innovative program provides solutions for preserving Pingyao’s exemplary architectural and cultural heritage, revitalizing and stimulating the arts and crafts, spreading the benefits of sustainable tourism development, and maintaining a vibrant, living city for its local residents. We look forward to partnering with supporters in the United States and Asia to preserve the ancient arts and cultural legacy of China.

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