The Proposition of the Dialogue Era of China's Two World Heritage Mountains: World Heritage Protection and Regional Sustainable Development

On March 3, the second China Twin World Heritage Mountain Dialogue kicked off in Tunxi District, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. Photo by Zhang Yazi

Huangshan, Anhui, March 3 (Zhongxin Net) -- The second China Twin World Heritage Mountain Dialogue and overseas Chinese media "Reading Huangshan Yujian Tunxi" concentrated interview activity opened on 24 March in Tunxi District, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. China's four Twin World Heritage Mountains gathered again to discuss World Heritage protection and regional sustainable development.

Up to now, China has the largest number of World Heritage Sites, with 56 items, including 4 World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites, namely: Mount Tai, Mount Huangshan, Mount Emei-Leshan Buddha, and Mount Wuyishan. These four famous mountains have their own characteristics, Mount Tai is the first double heritage site in China, and has the reputation of "the head of the five mountains"; Huangshan is crowned with the laurels of "the first strange mountain in the world", with a profound and unfathomable cultural heritage; The wonders of Danxia in Wuyi Mountain are famous, and the tea culture is world-renowned; Emei Mountain is known as the "Emei World Show" and is a rare Buddhist holy place.

Ling Yun, Secretary of the Huangshan Municipal Party Committee, said in his speech that this year marks the 51st anniversary of the birth of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. As the culmination of World Heritage Sites, cultural and natural heritage is a world language across regional peoples and a precious gift to all mankind. Huangshan has three laurels: World Heritage Site, Global Geopark and World Biosphere Reserve. The unique value gives Huangshan its unique charm.

Ling Yun, Secretary of the Huangshan Municipal Party Committee of the Communist Party of China, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the Second China Twin World Heritage Mountain Dialogue. Photo by Fan Chengzhu

Ling Yun said that the protection and inheritance of world heritage is the proposition of the times. Huangshan looks forward to taking this dialogue as a new starting point, linking the four mountains with Mount Tai, Mount Emei and Mount Wuyishan, learning from each other, jointly protecting the beauty of the world heritage, inheriting the "soul" of the world heritage, telling Chinese stories and demonstrating the self-confidence of Chinese culture.

According to Fu Yingchun, Vice Chairman and Executive Secretary-General of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, the World Heritage List is of great significance to China, allowing the world's most populous country to upgrade the value of heritage resource protection from concept to concept. The theme of this dialogue, World Heritage Conservation and Regional Sustainable Development, has distinctive characteristics of the times. Through this event, we hope to deeply explore the value of the four famous mountains, implement heritage protection and brand impact on regional sustainable development, and create more Chinese models that can be used for global mutual learning.

Fu Yingchun, Vice Chairman and Executive Secretary-General of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2nd China Twin World Heritage Mountain Dialogue. Photo by Fan Chengzhu

Chen Junjun, director of China News Service, said that the four famous Chinese mountains of Mount Taishan, Mount Huangshan, Mount Emei and Mount Wuyi have high-level profound cultural connotations, high-level sustainable development experience and high-quality ecological and environmental resources, which are important embodiments of the achievements of China's modern civilization. "We are willing to join hands with people from all walks of life to innovate the international communication discourse system, strive to tell the story of China's Twin World Heritage Mountains, spread the voice of China's Double World Heritage Mountains, and promote Chinese culture and show the beauty of China to the world."

Chen Jun, director of China News Service, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the second China Twin World Heritage Mountain Dialogue. Photo by Zhang Yazi

The event gathered guests, and relevant officials of Taishan, Huangshan, Emeishan, Wuyishan and their local governments gathered in Tunxi to carry out dialogues and exchanges, and contribute wisdom to the development of the two world-famous mountains and the cities where they are located. The United Nations World Tourism Organization, the International Geographical Union, the city government of Stralsund in Germany, San Marino Serlavale and other international organizations, Huangshan sister cities sent congratulatory videos. The guests will also visit tea enterprises in Huangshan City.

Dirk Glaeeser, Director of Sustainable Tourism Development of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, said that effective and sustainable tourism management of World Heritage must first support the conservation and display objectives of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. "Today's event demonstrates the important role China plays in recognizing these goals as a foundation for sustainable tourism development."

Wu Xuguang, secretary of the Tunxi District Party Committee, said in the promotion of the "International Living Room - Tunxi" that Tunxi, also known as Yucheng, is the central urban area of Huangshan City and an important birthplace of Hui culture, the world-famous mountain Huangshan is located next to it, and the Xin'an River with a thousand years of rhyme passes through the city, where the international style, fashion style and Huizhou rhyme are perfectly blended.

On the same day, the event released the "Huangshan Dialogue Tunxi Declaration", which fully summarized and shared the experience of the natural and cultural development of the four famous mountains, and explored a new path of coordinated management of ecological civilization and development and construction of famous mountains, which is of great significance for the protection, development and inheritance of world heritage and the promotion of natural ecological construction.

The event was hosted by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, China News Service, Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Anhui Provincial Government, Huangshan Municipal Party Committee of the Communist Party of China, Huangshan Municipal People's Government, Publicity Department of Huangshan Municipal Party Committee, Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Huangshan Municipal Government, Huangshan Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huangshan Scenic Area Management Committee, Tunxi District Committee of the CPC, Tunxi District People's Government, Anhui Branch of China News Service, Anhui Branch of China News Service International Communication Group, and the event was also supported by Anhui Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Anhui Forestry Bureau. (End)