(Question from East and West) Zhan Changfa: Is marine cultural heritage the frontier or the center of Chinese civilization?
China News Service, Beijing, August 4th. Title: Zhan Changfa: Is marine cultural heritage the frontier or the center of Chinese civilization?
China News Agency reporter Shi Yuanfeng
The 44th World Heritage Conference concluded in Fuzhou, Fujian Province on July 31. As the highlight of this World Heritage Conference, the Chinese World Heritage Nomination Project "Quanzhou: Song Yuan China’s World Ocean Trade Center" passed UNESCO’s 44th Deliberated at the session of the World Heritage Committee meeting, it was successfully included in the "World Heritage List", bringing the total number of World Heritage Sites in China to 56 items.
Quanzhou, as an outstanding window for China's foreign economic and cultural exchanges in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, an important node on the Maritime Silk Road, and a central port for world maritime trade, the heritage project has obtained the status of World Heritage.
Compared with other Chinese civilizations, does it mean that China’s marine civilization also has a special important position?
Zhan Changfa, vice chairman of the China Cultural Relics Conservation Foundation and chief scientist of the marine archaeology team of the Southern Ocean Laboratory, recently said in an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East and West Questions" that in 2018, the Quanzhou "Ancient Erythronium" cultural relic project had participated in the application for heritage. This year, "Quanzhou: Song and Yuan China’s World Maritime Trade Center" was once again inscribed at the World Heritage Conference. Not only did the project name change, but also the number of sites inscribed for heritage increased from 16 to 22, including iron smelting and ceramics. The remains of 6 archaeological sites including the Shibo Division, an organization that manages overseas trade.
This successful application shows that Quanzhou, as an important representative city of China's marine civilization, has a more prominent position. China's marine civilization, like other Chinese civilizations, is also an important historical relic of Chinese civilization. Strengthening the protection of marine cultural heritage is of great and far-reaching significance.
Data map: Liusheng Tower, located in Shihu Village, Cangjiang Town, Shishi, Quanzhou, was a landmark of ancient merchant ships sailing from the main channel of Quanzhou Bay to an inland river port.
Photo by Sun Hong
The summary of the interview record is as follows:
China News Agency reporter: Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the coastal cities of Fujian have gradually become China's maritime corridors, and Quanzhou has become the starting point of the ancient maritime Silk Road. Today, Fujian is still one of China's important provinces for foreign cooperation, sitting on the Southeast International Shipping Center. This year’s World Heritage Conference came to China again after 17 years, and the Quanzhou project was successfully applied for. What special significance do you think?
Zhan Changfa:
The successful application for the heritage project of "Quanzhou: Song and Yuan China's World Ocean Trade Center" is expected.
There are more than 800 cultural relics protection units at various levels in Quanzhou. For a prefecture-level city, this number is astonishing.
Moreover, Quanzhou is known as the "Museum of World Religions" and is a city where diverse cultures coexist.
In Quanzhou, foreign religious culture and native Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism blend with each other, absorb each other, and live in harmony. This is rare in other countries in the world.
Not only that, more than 750 years ago, Quanzhou entered the era of "globalization" early, with a highly developed trade network and a world-leading "water and land logistics system", becoming a "window of the world."
In 1990, UNESCO initiated a comprehensive mission to "Maritime Silk Road" composed of nearly 100 scholars from more than 30 countries. The cruise ship "Peace Ark" set sail from Venice Port, Italy, which lasted 130 days along the ancient sea. The trade road traveled eastward and arrived in Quanzhou on February 14th of the following year. He conducted a five-day comprehensive inspection and held an international academic seminar on the theme of "China and the Maritime Silk Road".
That significant inspection also demonstrated China's Quanzhou's important position on the Maritime Silk Road.
The success of the Quanzhou project is not only of cultural and historical significance, but will also become the anchoring stone for the declaration of the "Maritime Silk Road" World Heritage Project.
Zhan Changfa.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
China News Agency reporter: You once said that cultural heritage not only exists on land, but also hidden deep under water or under the sea. China has a coastline of 18,000 kilometers, more than 6,500 large and small islands, and a wealth of marine cultural heritage and great value, but the current situation is not optimistic. In recent years, China has increasingly increased its investment in and support for the protection of coastal underwater cultural heritage, from a single underwater archaeology to a full range of underwater cultural heritage protection, from the coast to the ocean. Do you think these measures are worldwide What are the far-reaching effects?
Zhan Changfa:
China's sea area is about 4.7 million square kilometers. Marine resources include not only the oil and gas and mineral deposits under the sea, but also marine heritage is an important part of it.
Ancient coastal villages, wharves, ancient port relics, marine trade items, and the awareness of maritime power and defense of ancient countries that are related to human activities are all marine cultural heritage.
In recent years, China has hundreds of universities and research institutions involved in the field of marine heritage, and they have sprung up like bamboo shoots after a rain.
The high emphasis on maritime cultural heritage is not only closely related to the development of the entire country, but also has far-reaching significance for maritime security and exchanges and mutual learning with neighboring countries.
The protection, planning, development and utilization of marine heritage should be coordinated by land and sea.
Today, we have invested a large amount of scientific research in the field of protection and research of marine historical relics. Not only can we complete the historical distribution of underwater heritage, but also contribute more to the research of the world's "Maritime Silk Road".
Reporter from China News Service: There is a Western view that, compared with Western marine civilization, Chinese civilization is an inland civilization, and that Chinese civilization is a latecomer to the ocean. In fact, although ancient Chinese agricultural civilization has always occupied a dominant position, marine culture has also played an important role in promoting the development of Chinese culture. This is not difficult to see from the archaeology of underwater cultural heritage. In your opinion, what are the similarities between Chinese marine civilization and Western marine civilization, and what are the differences?
Zhan Changfa:
From the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD, ancient Chinese navigation and navigation technology have always been the world leader. The Song and Yuan Dynasty entered its heyday. At that time, Citong Port (now Quanzhou, Fujian) had become the world's largest trade at that time. One of the ports.
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean and reached the pinnacle of Chinese navigation.
Whether it is Chinese marine civilization or Western marine civilization, it will bring about social and economic prosperity and cultural integration.
Engaging in research on marine cultural heritage, including underwater archaeology, has a profound effect on the dialogue between China and neighboring countries.
For example, the underwater heritage of the South China Sea is a record and historical evidence of the historical migration and formation of Chinese diasporas. Strengthening research in this field will establish a new relationship between the people of China and neighboring countries, and promote and promote mutual cultural identity.
Data map: Porcelain on the shipwreck "Nanhai I".
Photo by China News Agency reporter Chen Jimin
China News Agency reporter: In 2019, the concept of building a “community of a shared future for the ocean” has attracted attention from all walks of life as soon as it was put forward. The "Community of a Shared Future for the Ocean" is not only the continuation of the "harmonious ocean", but also the application and development of the concept of a "Community of Shared Future for Mankind" in the marine field. In your opinion, strengthening research on the protection of marine cultural heritage will bring about any changes to the cooperation and cultural identity between China and neighboring countries?
Zhan Changfa:
Whether it is a "community with a shared future for mankind" or a "community with a shared future for mankind," the commonality is cultural heritage, an emotion that can be found no matter where you are.
We often talk about "humanities casting soul".
Without the humanities, there is no soul; without the soul, there is no common bond between each other.
China's marine cultural heritage is the cultural relics of human marine activities and ocean-related activities in the history of China and neighboring countries.
Strengthening the research and cooperation of marine cultural heritage between China and neighboring countries is an effective way to increase mutual understanding and a good medicine to deepen mutual cultural identity.
The marine cultural heritage belongs to all mankind and deserves everyone's attention.
China News Agency reporter: Over the years, you have done a lot of work in the field of cultural heritage protection, cooperation and exchanges between China and foreign countries. Since the early 1990s, you have continuously promoted many cooperations between China and Italy in the field of cultural relics protection. In your opinion, how to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection?
Zhan Changfa:
In the final analysis, it is still a matter of training professional talents.
First, we must "go out", and second, we must "bring in."
Over the years, China has established many cooperations with Italy, as well as the United States, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and other countries in the field of cultural relics protection and restoration training.
Nowadays, with the rise of China's economy, we have world-class equipment and instruments in the field of cultural relics protection and restoration, but their utilization rate and utilization rate have not reached the expected results, and the professional level of talents needs to be improved.
This is a question worthy of our calm thinking.
Next, it is necessary to expand more cooperation channels in talent training, so that high-tech talents with real talents can "go out" and go to relevant scientific research units in technologically advanced countries such as Europe for research and study.
At the same time, we will build more cooperation platforms and "bring in" skilled experts to solve our key technical problems.
Data map: June 25, 2021, local time, Rome, Italy. The Flavian Amphitheater, the Colosseum and the catacombs (hypogea) were opened to the media after restoration.
Image source: Visual China
China News Agency reporter: You went to the Italian National Cultural Relics Restoration Research Institute Rome Restoration Center (now the Italian Advanced Institute of Cultural Relics Conservation and Restoration) for research and study from 1989 to 1995. In 2005, you were awarded the Italian "Star of Benevolence" Knight Medal , You not only make outstanding contributions to the protection and exchange of cultural heritage between China and Europe, but also attach great importance to the cultivation of professionals in the field of cultural protection in China. how so?
Zhan Changfa: The
cultural relics not only carry the ingenious skills of the ancients, but also continue the history, culture, customs and customs, and accumulate the wisdom and civilization of the ancient people.
Conservation and restoration of cultural relics are complex and specific. The restoration engineer of cultural relics must have the spirit of craftsman, but also have high historical and cultural literacy and professional skills.
For a long time, the restoration of cultural relics has been classified as a traditional craft by us. For the training of professional talents, the industry generally adopts the traditional "teacher system" technique inheritance model, and has not risen to the academic field.
As a result, not only the interdisciplinary problems encountered in actual work cannot be solved well, but also the dialogue with the world in the field of cultural relics protection and restoration cannot be integrated.
In the West, a standardized professional restoration theory had been formed in the 1960s, while the protection and restoration of cultural relics in China had just begun at that time.
So since I returned from studying abroad in 1995, I have been committed to the training of professionals in this field. I have successively opened more than 70 domestic and international cultural relics protection and restoration training courses, and carried out a series of cultural relics protection and restoration practices.
China News Agency reporter: Both China and Italy are cultural powers, and they are also one of the countries with the most complete categories of World Heritage Sites. Italy is a world leader in the theory and practice of cultural relics protection. How do you think it should promote the exchange and in-depth cooperation of cultural heritage between China and Italy in the future, so as to enhance the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations?
Zhan Changfa:
Since 1995, the Italian government has donated US$3.8 million to the Chinese government for the establishment of the Xi'an Cultural Relics Conservation and Restoration Center. Since then, cultural relics protection and restoration training has been carried out. More than 50 experts who participated in the lectures were all from Italy. After being selected, they have cultivated the backbone of China's first batch of cultural relics protection research and restoration skills.
Over the years, Italy and China have a good foundation for cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection, and Italy has the world's leading technology in the theory and practice of cultural heritage protection.
As a world heritage country, China and Italy are one in the East and the other in the West. The two ancient civilizations should establish more opportunities for cooperation, strengthen cultural exchanges and skills exchanges between the East and the West, and lead the world.
Data map: Quanzhou Anping Bridge.
It is the longest surviving sea-crossing stone bridge in China. It was built in 1138 and is the land transportation node between Quanzhou and the southern coastal areas.
Photo by Wang Dongming
China News Agency reporter: Some Western scholars once pointed out that the ocean is not a frontier but is indeed the center of human culture and world history. What do you think?
Zhan Changfa: The
ancient western marine culture is open. Because many countries did not have sufficient conditions for agricultural production at that time, they sought survival and development in sailing activities. The marine culture they created was full of adventurous, pioneering spirit and competitive consciousness.
They went out of the ocean, and naturally turned the ocean into the center of culture and history.
However, this view is currently controversial and should be viewed in light of reality.
In fact, the ocean has no restrictions on humans.
If we regard the ocean as a common object of mankind, and call it "frontier" on the basis of the multilateral culture of various nations, it seems that there is no problem. Of course, this also needs to be considered in conjunction with many factors such as laws.
But if you look at it as the center of human culture and the world, although there is no problem in status identification, it needs to take into account its individuality and particularity, for example, from the perspectives of world outlook and historical development, rather than conceptually. Define it.
(Finish)
(Zhao Xu participated in the writing of this article)
Zhan Changfa was born in Henan in 1956.
Former vice president of the China Cultural Heritage Research Institute, vice chairman of the China Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation, chief scientist and doctoral supervisor of the marine archaeology team of the Southern Ocean Laboratory.
He graduated from the Department of Chemistry of Lanzhou University in 1979. From 1989 to 1995, he went to the Italian National Center for Restoration in Rome (now the Italian Central Institute for Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Relics) for research and study, and was awarded the "Knight of Benevolence Star" in Italy.
He has been committed to the restoration theory and practice exploration, education and training, and marine heritage protection research of cultural relics protection for a long time, and actively promotes the all-round cooperation between China and Italy in the field of cultural heritage protection.