China News Agency, Chongqing, October 20th: Why does the protection of Chinese cave temples introduce international forces?
——Interview with Li Fangyin, Dean of Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute
China News Agency reporter Zhong Yan
Dazu Rock Carvings, a world cultural heritage, is the general term for all rock carvings in Dazu District, Chongqing, and is one of the eight major grottoes in the world.
Over the past 70 years, with social development and technological progress, Dazu Rock Carvings have basically formed an all-round protection pattern from the protection of cultural relics, the restoration of painted paintings, the reinforcement of dangerous rocks, the control of water hazards, the construction of three-dimensional digitalization and monitoring systems.
What is the value and significance of Dazu Rock Carvings in the distribution of cave temples in the world?
Its protection, how to attract international forces to join?
What international friendly exchanges and cooperation have brought to Dazu Rock Carvings?
Li Fangyin, Dean of Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions" in Dazu, Chongqing.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Service: The Dazu Rock Carvings were inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO as early as 1999, and are currently the only world cultural heritage in Chongqing. What status and value does it have in the pattern of world cave temples?
Li Fangyin: The
cave temple was introduced to China from India.
Around the 3rd century AD, China had the first grotto "Kizil", which was later spread through the Silk Road, and great grotto relics such as Dunhuang, Yungang and Longmen were born in the north.
By the Song Dynasty, scattered grottoes such as Guangyuan, Bazhong, Leshan, Anyue, and Feilaifeng emerged in the south. Among them, the Dazu Rock Carvings are the outstanding representative of the late grotto art and have a complete statue system, which has been announced as a cultural relic protection unit. There are 75 stone carvings and more than 50,000 statues.
Tourists visit the Dazu Rock Carvings.
Photo by Chen Chao
The Dazu Rock Carvings represent the highest level of world grotto art from the 9th to the 13th century AD.
When UNESCO listed the Dazu Rock Carvings in the World Heritage List, it believed that the Dazu Rock Carvings had unique value and characteristics, and had universal and unique significance.
Judging from the content of the statues, the Dazu Rock Carvings have completed the process of the Chineseization of Buddhist art, with Buddhism as the mainstay, and it is different from the previous grottoes because of its collection of statues of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and has a strong cultural tolerance.
In terms of art form, most of the cave temples around the world are mainly caves, but the cliff statues of Dazu Rock Carvings account for a higher proportion; in terms of carving techniques, it uses a lot of "line modeling" in traditional Chinese painting; In terms of image, the statue is no longer a "superior god", but is more intimate and explanatory.
When tourists visit, not only the visual shock, but also the spiritual shock.
In general, the Dazu Rock Carvings have distinctive national, secular, and life-like characteristics.
Dazu Rock Carvings on the Cliffs of Baoding Mountain.
Photo by He Penglei
China News Service reporter: How has the protection of Dazu Rock Carvings developed?
Li Fangyin:
Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute has been established for 70 years, and it has also passed 70 years of adherence to and inheritance of stone carvings. Different problems have been solved in each period.
The diseases of the Dazu Rock Carvings are mainly divided into three categories: rock mass stability, weathering, and water seepage, all of which cause great damage to the statues.
Before the 1980s, the rescue and basic protection of grottoes were the key points. When they collapsed, they were reinforced, and when they were damaged, they were restored.
After the 1980s, the Dazu Rock Carvings entered the stage of systematic protection. In response to the three major diseases, a series of protection plans were formulated and different projects were implemented in an orderly manner.
But to this period, conservation efforts remained relatively traditional.
After the Dazu Rock Carvings became a world cultural heritage, the improvement of international vision has promoted the innovation of protection work.
The methods, concepts, technologies, and scope of protection have all undergone great changes. For example, it is no longer limited to protecting the body of the statue on the cliff, but has gradually expanded to a wider range of protection including the surrounding natural and cultural environments.
After the first international cooperation in 2007, the cultural relics protection, research and utilization of Dazu Rock Carvings have reached a new level.
At present, Dazu Rock Carvings are in the stage of both rescue protection and preventive protection, and the focus will gradually shift to preventive protection in the future.
After the rescue and reinforcement, the Dazu Rock Carvings of Baoding Mountain Cliff Statue Yuanjue Cave of Big Buddha Bay Cliff Statue.
Photo by He Penglei
China News Agency reporter: You just mentioned international cooperation. What kind of cooperation is it? What role did it play?
Li Fangyin:
After the Dazu Rock Carvings become a world cultural heritage, it is particularly important to protect them under a series of international conventions and concepts.
From the perspective of protection and management, it is imperative to introduce more international experience, ideas and forces.
The first international cooperation was based on a series of cooperation agreements signed between the Chinese and Italian governments.
Considering that the Italian cultural relics protection started early, has a good foundation, a fine division of labor, a large number of talents, and the world-leading stone cultural relics protection and restoration technology, we came up with the idea of cooperating with the Italian cultural heritage protection agency.
In 2007, the project was supported by relevant departments of China and Italy.
This cooperation mainly focuses on the procurement of technical equipment and personnel training. The Italian government supports the low-interest loan of 20 million yuan (RMB, the same below) for Chinese cultural heritage to build the "Chongqing Dazu Stone Cultural Relics Protection Center".
During this period, Italian experts went to the Dazu Rock Carvings to investigate and investigate many times, and discussed various matters.
In cooperation, differences between China and the West due to differences in ideas are inevitable, but fortunately they are resolved amicably.
In the exchanges and cooperation with the Italian side, the protection system of Dazu Rock Carvings has been continuously improved, the protection concept has been continuously sublimated, and the level of protection and restoration has been continuously improved, which has enriched our international experience in protecting cultural heritage.
This cooperation has also laid a good foundation for the long-term protection and research of Dazu Rock Carvings.
A test sample for the protection and restoration project of the Reclining Buddha Cliff Statue on Baoding Mountain in Dazu Rock Carving.
Photo by He Penglei
We also recognize that in the protection of cultural relics, the importance of scientific and technological power is becoming more and more prominent.
In the following years, Dazu Rock Carvings made great efforts to build a number of scientific and technological centers such as the "Safety Technology Prevention Center" and "Early Warning Monitoring Center" to achieve all-round video surveillance coverage of important areas, and to collect real-time weather and microenvironment of the environment where Dazu Rock Carvings are located. The monitoring data of more than 10 categories and more than 70 small items such as rock mass stability, etc., carry out "daily physical examination" of Dazu Rock Carvings, and support cultural relics protection with big data.
China News Agency reporter: In recent years, Dazu Rock Carvings have continued to carry out international cooperation with Italy, Japan and other countries. What breakthroughs have these cooperations made compared to the previous ones?
Li Fangyin:
In May 2017, the Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute signed a contract with the Italian Veneto Cultural Heritage Cluster to cooperate in the protection of the “Shu Chengyan Cliff Statue”, a cultural relic protection unit in Chongqing.
This is the first substantial technical cooperation between Italy and China in the field of protection and restoration of stone cultural relics.
Experts from both sides jointly applied advanced technology and carried out multi-disciplinary joint work on historical traceability analysis, non-destructive and minimally destructive sampling analysis, restoration, follow-up protection and maintenance of the Shuchengyan Cliff Statue.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
Chinese and Italian experts discussed the restoration of Shu Chengyan statues on the spot.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
In March 2022, the tripartite cooperation between Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute, Fudan University and Japan's Nara Institute of Cultural Properties will start from comprehensively improving the foundation and theoretical research level of Dazu Rock Carvings protection, and promote the technological protection and preventive protection of cave temples.
China and Japan will take "Fengshan Temple Cliff Statues" as the specific research object, and carry out field investigations and indoor experiments related to environmental monitoring, preservation status evaluation, weathering disease mechanism research, restoration and protection materials research, laboratory construction, personnel training and exchanges, international Academic conferences and other cooperation, the first phase of the cooperation plan is five years.
China News Agency reporter: You have experienced a number of international cooperations. What inspiration has these experiences brought to you?
Li Fangyin:
Cultural heritage is an important bridge and link for international exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.
Only by looking at problems with the times can we better carry out the protection of cultural heritage.
Looking at the protection of the Dazu Rock Carvings from the perspective of globalization, many thoughts will suddenly become clear.
It is a precious treasure shared by all mankind, and an important platform and link for building a community with a shared future for mankind in the new era. Everyone has both the obligation to protect it and the right to share it.
The restored Dazu Rock Carving Statue of Avalokitesvara.
Photo by He Penglei
No matter now or in the future, in order to better promote the protection of cultural heritage, several conditions are indispensable.
One is to rely on scientific and technological strength to implement more effective, precise and scientific protection.
The second is to open the door, let people with lofty ideals at home and abroad participate in the overall protection of cultural relics, and constantly update the existing concepts, technologies, methods and methods.
The third is to promote protection based on sharing, so that all mankind can experience the charm of cultural heritage.
This is also the significance of our cultural relic workers fighting for it.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Li Fangyin, director of the Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute.
Photo by He Penglei
Li Fangyin, male, Han nationality, born in 1962.
He is currently the dean of the Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute and a secondary research librarian.
In order to enjoy the special government allowance of the State Council, he is an expert and "Chongqing Yingcai·Famous Teachers".
He has won the title of "National Advanced Worker" and "National Advanced Individual of Cultural and Expo System".
He used to be a member of the first, second, third and fourth CPPCC Chongqing Municipal Committee, and is currently a representative of the Fifth Chongqing Municipal People's Congress.
He has devoted himself to the protection and research of Dazu Rock Carvings for 40 years, and has presided over a number of national, provincial and ministerial scientific research projects; he has published more than 10 books, 2 of which won the first prize of Chongqing Social Science Outstanding Scientific Research Achievements.
As the person in charge of books and writings, he presided over the compilation and publication of the National "Tenth Five-Year" Key Book Publishing Planning Project, the National Publishing Fund Project, and the compilation and publication of the archaeological report "The Complete Works of Dazu Rock Carvings" in 11 volumes and 19 volumes.