Tong Wildfires In China

12th US/ICOMOS International Symposium

Response to Earthquakes in China Mr. Tong Mingkang President of ICOMOS CHINA

Dear Mr. Gustavo Araoz, President of ICOMOS, Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good evening!

PPT1: 演讲题目

First of all, please allow me, on behalf of ICOMOS China, to express my heart-felt thanks to US/ICOMOS for your invitation and hospitality offered to me and my colleagues. I would also like to thank the conference organizers for giving me such a good opportunity to deliver a presentation here this evening. It is my pleasure to be in New Orleans, a beautiful city with rich cultural resources. Its name reminds me the hurricane that devastated so many people and so much property. People around the world have watched your recovery and restoration of cultural properties. As you know, after the earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province, we found ourselves in similarly unfortunate circumstance.

Throughout Chinese history, rich and diverse cultural heritage has been created and preserved. Today, China has 37 World Heritage properties, 400,000 registered monuments and sites; 110 cities and 251 towns or villages proclaimed as historically and culturally famous places.

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PPT3: 世界遗产照片 PPT4: 文保单位照片 PPT5: 名城名镇照片 1

However, China suffers some of the world’s most serious natural disasters that occur with great frequency and intensity over vast areas, and with considerable losses. Along with climate change, the losses caused by earthquakes, snowstorms and ice hazards even totaled 1000 billion Yuan in 2008.

PPT6: 地震数据饼图

ON May 12, 2008, a major earthquake hit Wenchuan County in Sichuan Province.

PPT7: 地震示意图

Statistics indicate that it was China’s most destructive earthquake in more than 60 years.

地震烈度图

While causing huge life and property losses, this earthquake destroyed many invaluable cultural properties. In the worst-hit area of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, 376 monuments under state or province-level protection, as well as 4,000 pieces of museum collection, were damaged.

PPT9: 受损文保单位分 布图

The Qiang ethnic group is considered one of the oldest ethnic peoples in China and regarded as a “living fossil” of Chinese civilization. Cultural heritage resources of the Qiang suffered huge losses in the earthquake.

PPT10: 羌族村寨照片

Great damages have been caused to the Qiang village in Taoping, Lixian County and the Qiang village in Heihu, Maoxian County, both of which have been included in China’s Tentative List for World Heritage.

PPT11-12: 桃坪碉楼地震前 后对比照片

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Damages to historic buildings caused by the earthquake are categorized by four types: A. Buildings that completely collapsed;

PPT13-14: 领报修院地震前 后对比照片

B. Structures heavily damaged and buildings that partially collapsed;

PPT15: 伏龙观、二王庙地 震前后对比照片

C. Structures partially damaged;

PPT16: 结构部分受损照 片

D. Structures left basically intact, but with decorations damaged.

PPT17: 装修受损照片

Relevant parameters include routine maintenance, distance from the epicenter, and stability of main structures and foundations. Routine maintenance is vital to the protection of oriental wooden and brick-and-stone structures against earthquake, including weeding, ventilating, protecting against humidity, ant attacks and reinforcing decayed components.

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A thousand-year old brick pagoda in Sichuan, for example, cracked from the root of plants due to failure to uproot plants growing out of its exterior.

PPT18: 镇国寺白塔照片, 单击出现开裂动 画

After the earthquake, the State Administration of Cultural

Heritage 3

(SACH), ICOMOS China and Chinese cultural heritage administrations at various levels collaborated immediately to rescue and protect cultural properties affected. The work consisted of following five steps: The first step, a national emergency was called immediately for disaster relief and reconstruction. Coordination groups give direct instructions to rescue efforts in the quake-hit areas and work out guidelines for aftermath rescue and protection of cultural heritage. Emergency funds were identified and allocated for cleaning and disinfection of the worst-damaged monuments. As a result, cultural properties in the quake-hit area were soon under control.

PPT19: 一组局领导现场 调研、会议照片

Meanwhile, local governments, institutions and organizations also launched self-rescue. Local staffs risked their lives to rescue 38 monuments, and relocate nearly 80,000 pieces of museum collection to safer places. Most museums and monuments were soon reopened to public or offered emergency shelters for local people. Jinsha Site Museum in Chengdu sheltered nearly 20,000 local residents on the single day of May 19.

PPT20: 基层工作者现场 调研照片 PPT21: 临时支护措施照 片 PPT22: 金沙遗址博物馆 广场照片

The second step, survey and assess to the damages and

after-quake 4

protection. SACH and ICOMOS China organized leading experts nationwide to conduct on-site surveys and establish assessing standards of damaged cultural property. They also worked hard to provide technical guidance for rescue and protection plans.

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Assessment reports and protection plans have been drafted.

PPT24: 一组规划文本照 片

The third step, mobilize national resources to provide technical assistance. On June 20, 2008, a workshop brought together provincial heritage administrations, qualified institutes and universities. They undertook a number of rescue and protection projects and provided technical assistance to the quake-hit areas. 83 museums from other parts of China pledged to help the quake-hit museums to restore their collections and resume exhibitions.

The fourth step, implement projects to rescue and protect quake-hit cultural properties in a reasoning, step-by-step manner. Based on preliminary estimates, about 30 rescue and protection projects are proceeding well, including assessment and restoration of historic monuments.

一组专家现场评 估、论证照片

PPT25: 一组签署对口支 援协议照片

一组都江堰施工 照片

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The timely implementation of these rescue and protection projects has considerably boosted the confidence of local

people rebuild

to their 5

homes. During implementing these projects, we keep in our mind the motto “more haste, less speed” and strictly abide by the principle of “quality and procedure first”.

PPT28: 二 王 庙 阶 梯清理对比照片 PPT29: 有 序 摆 放 利用瓦件 PPT30: 清 理 出 的 题刻

PPT27:二王庙大殿前清理对比照片

The fifth step, give priority to the rescue and protection of the cultural heritage of Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups. Rescue and protection projects on Diaolou towers and villages of the Qiang ethnic group in Taoping, Lixian County and Diaolou towers and villages of Tibetan ethnic group in Ma’erkang have been launched.

Training programs have been provided to local artisans in the restoration of Tibetan and Qiang cultural property. In restoring damaged monuments in traditional ways, we encouraged local people to participant heritage rescue and protection. By doing so, we created more employment opportunities for the benefit of local economic growth, while helped local artisans to carry on their traditional skills.

Based on my Chinese colleagues’ response to the earthquake, I would like to share some experiences and

PPT31: 一 组 桃 坪 羌寨工程照片 PPT32: 一 组 直 波 碉楼工程照片

PPT33: 一组工匠培训照 片

ideas with our colleagues. 6

Firstly, I think it’s vital to establish a well-developed, effective precaution and relief system for the response to natural disasters. Such a national system should consist of following five elements: First, the improved laws and regulations. After the earthquake, the Chinese Government formulated and enacted national regulations on post-quake reconstruction and rules on the administration of post-quake rescue, restoration and protection of cultural property, which provided effective guarantees to rescue and protect cultural heritage.

Second, the timely effective emergency response and plans. Responsibilities of heritage administrations, handling procedures and emergency measures should be explicitly defined, so that rescue and assistance are called upon immediately after an earthquake.

Third, the detailed archives on cultural heritage resources. China has archived on all monuments under protection, in particular, those under state-level protection. These detailed archives ensure timely rescue, restoration and protection of the cultural heritage in the event of an earthquake.

Fourth, the effective monitoring and assessment systems. Both traditional and modern technologies should be used

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PPT34: 单击出现第２行 文字（要素２）

PPT34: 单击出现 第３行文字（要素 ３）

to monitor monuments and 7

their settings. Based on data analysis, we should reasonably assess the risk of cultural heritage, formulate scientific measures and standards in disaster precaution and relief.

Fifth, the well-established institutions for cultural heritage conservation. In China, cultural heritage administrations have been established at both central and local levels. All important monuments are taken care of by managing agencies and individuals. They played a key role in collecting information about damages in time, particularly in the early stage of the post-quake period when all communication and transportation were out of service. Meanwhile, I also think during post-quake rescue and protection should take into account the following principles: 1. Priority for structural rescue. Measures should be taken to support endangered structures with notable stability problems so as to prevent them from further damages caused by secondary disasters like aftershocks. For structures with adequate stability but with leakage, temporary measures should be taken to shelter them from further destruction by rainfall.

2. Priority to the protection in original site.

PPT34: 单击出现第４行 文字（要素４）

PPT34: 单击出现第５行 文字（要素５）

PPT35: 单击出现第１行 文字（原则１）

If without the 8

threat of further geological disasters, damaged monuments should be restored and protected in their original sites in order to retain information about their history and culture. Historic buildings heavily destroyed by geological or other natural disasters should be considered for relocation in accordance with specific requirements. 3. Priority to traditional approaches of restoration. Traditional skills and materials should be used if quake-hit monuments or objects can be restored in these ways. If, by any reasons, they cannot be restored in traditional ways, modern materials and technologies should be applied but cautiously and in accordance with the standards set in the Principles for the Conservation of Heritage Sites in China, compiled in 2000. Self rescue by local people with traditional skills should be encouraged.

4. Priority to earthquake precaution and disaster relief. For heritage sites heavily damaged by earthquakes, assessment should be made on the geological safety of their locations and necessary measures taken to eliminate further potential risks. Priority should be given to the applied technology of protection that can upgrade quake-proof capacity of heritage sites, in particular, traditional skills. Modern quake-proof technologies should be applied cautiously, on the condition of no any negative impact on heritage values.

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PPT35: 单击出现第３行 文字（原则３）

PPT35: 单击出现第４行 文字（原则４）

5. Distinguishing while in-site cleaning. Accurate 9

mapping, surveying, photo taking and recording should be made before cleaning the damaged properties, in particular, in sites piled with collapsed components and materials of historic buildings. Recyclable old materials and building components should be reused as much as possible. Other collapsed or broken materials should be disposed after strict identification.

After the earthquake, China received worldwide relief assistance. International organizations such as WHC, ICOMOS, ICCROM and ICOM and heritage conservation authorities from other countries expressed concerns and offered support and assistance. I would like to express my sincerest thanks to all my colleagues who have offered such generous care and assistance. Earthquake precaution and disaster relief is a new topic for the conservation of cultural heritage in China. Now my Chinese colleagues are working hard to find new solutions and apply their experience in rescuing and protecting cultural properties after a natural disaster. We welcome international community and foreign governments, organizations and individuals to join in our efforts. We believe this increase in international exchange, and cooperation among personnel, capital and technology, will greatly enhance our collective ability to anticipate and respond to natural disasters. The invaluable support and help of our colleagues is most welcome.

PPT35: 单击出现第５行 文字（原则５）

PPT36-37: 提供援助的国家、 组织名单及合作 情况

Thank you!

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