The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou is a comprehensive cultural venue built to commemorate Tang Xianzu, one of the world’s hundred great cultural figures and a master of Ming‑dynasty drama in China. It is also one of Jiangxi Province’s ten major memorial halls dedicated to historical luminaries.
Public Service Sharing | Let’s Learn About Cultural Heritage Preservation!
Author:
Source:
Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall Official Account
Time:
2024-04-09
Cultural Heritage Preservation
Cultural relics embody a splendid civilization, pass down historical and cultural heritage, and uphold the national spirit; they are the precious legacy bequeathed to us by our ancestors. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that we must safeguard and manage cultural relics that encapsulate the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, allowing history and these relics themselves to speak for themselves.
Cultural heritage preservation is also an integral part of enhancing a nation’s cultural soft power; a sound understanding of cultural relics is the prerequisite for their effective protection, transmission, and sustainable development. Strengthening heritage conservation helps safeguard historical and cultural legacies, leaves future generations with invaluable cultural assets, fosters spiritual civilization, and stimulates local economic growth.
What is a cultural relic?
When you think of cultural relics, what comes to mind?
Ancient pottery, jade artifacts, and bronze vessels?
All of the above is correct, but it’s not comprehensive.
Take three minutes to watch the animation below.
On “cultural relics” and
Some common knowledge from the Cultural Relics Protection Law,
Let’s start with a basic understanding!
Provincial-level cultural relics protection units, municipal-level cultural relics protection units, and district- or county-level cultural relics protection units. Immovable cultural relics that have not yet been officially designated and announced as cultural relics protection units shall be registered and publicly announced by the cultural relics administrative department of the people’s government at the county level.
(Articles 3 and 13 of the Cultural Relics Protection Law)
Movable cultural relics include: important physical objects, works of art, documents, manuscripts, books and archival materials, as well as representative artifacts from all historical periods—both precious and ordinary. Among these, precious cultural relics are classified into Grade‑I relics,
Second-class cultural relics and third-class cultural relics. (Article 3 of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics)
Citizens, legal persons, and other organizations all have the obligation to protect cultural relics in accordance with the law, and they are entitled to dissuade, report, and bring charges against any acts that violate laws and regulations on the protection of cultural relics. (Article 7 of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics)
Cultural relics within the territory protected by the state:
(1) Ancient cultural sites of historical, artistic, or scientific value; within the territory of the People’s Republic of China, the following cultural relics—ancient tombs, ancient buildings, cave temples and stone carvings, as well as murals;
(2) Important historical sites, physical objects, and representative buildings of the modern and contemporary periods that are associated with major historical events, revolutionary movements, or famous figures, and that possess significant commemorative, educational, or historical value;
(3) Valuable works of art and decorative arts from various historical periods;
(4) Important historical documents from various periods, as well as manuscripts and bibliographic materials of historical, artistic, or scientific value;
(5) Representative physical objects that reflect the social systems, social production, and social life of various eras and ethnic groups throughout history. (Article 2 of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics)
Memorial buildings, ancient structures, and ancestral cultural relics that are collectively or privately owned, as well as other cultural relics acquired in accordance with the law, shall have their ownership protected by law. (Article 6 of the Cultural Relics Protection Law)
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(1) Those who conscientiously enforce laws and regulations on cultural relic protection and have achieved remarkable results in safeguarding cultural relics;
(2) Those who resolutely combat illegal and criminal activities in order to protect cultural relics;
(3) Those who donate important cultural relics from their personal collections to the State or make donations to the cause of cultural relic preservation;
(4) Those who promptly report or turn in cultural relics upon discovery, thereby ensuring their protection;
(5) Those who have made significant contributions to archaeological excavation work;
(6) Those who have made significant inventions or other important contributions in the field of cultural heritage preservation science and technology;
(7) Those who have made meritorious contributions to the rescue of cultural relics when they are in imminent danger of destruction;
(8) Those who have been engaged in cultural relics work for a long period and have achieved outstanding accomplishments. (Article 12 of the Cultural Relics Protection Law)
Designated cultural relic protection units at all levels shall have prescribed protection zones, and, where necessary, a corresponding construction control zone shall be delineated outside the protection zone. Construction projects undertaken within the construction control zone of a cultural relic protection unit,
The historical appearance of cultural heritage sites shall not be damaged; engineering design plans, in accordance with the classification of the cultural heritage site and subject to the approval of the relevant cultural heritage administrative authority, must be submitted to the urban–rural construction planning department for approval.
(Articles 15 and 18 of the Cultural Relics Protection Law; Article 13 of the Implementing Regulations)
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No other construction projects or operations such as blasting, drilling, or excavation shall be carried out within the protection zone of a cultural relic protection site. In cases of special circumstances requiring activities within the protection zone of a cultural relic protection site, …
For other construction projects or operations such as blasting, drilling, and excavation, the safety of the cultural relic protection site must be ensured, and approval must be obtained from the people’s government that has designated and publicly announced the site.
Prior to approval, consent must be obtained from the cultural relics administrative department of the next higher-level people’s government. (Article 17 of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics)
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Within the protection zone of a cultural relic protection site, the following activities are prohibited:
(1) Installing outdoor advertising facilities without authorization;
(2) Construction of artificial attractions;
(3) Storing flammable, explosive, toxic, corrosive, or other items that pose a threat to the safety of cultural relics;
(4) Conducting blasting, drilling, excavation, or other such operations without authorization, or planting or transplanting large trees and constructing structures;
(5) Building kilns, extracting soil, quarrying stone, mining, deforestation, discharging pollutants, and deep plowing of land.
02 Cultural Relics Quiz
Q: What is a cultural relic?
Answer: Cultural relics are historical remains left behind by human societies in the course of their social activities, possessing historical, artistic, and scientific value. They are classified into movable cultural relics and immovable cultural relics.
The following cultural relics are under state protection:
(1) Ancient cultural sites, ancient tombs, ancient buildings, cave temples and stone carvings, as well as murals, that possess historical, artistic, or scientific value;
(2) Important historical sites, physical objects, and representative buildings of the modern and contemporary periods that are associated with major historical events, revolutionary movements, or famous figures, and that possess significant commemorative, educational, or historical value;
(3) Valuable works of art and decorative arts from various historical periods;
(4) Important historical documents from various periods, as well as manuscripts and bibliographic materials of historical, artistic, or scientific value;
(5) Representative physical objects that reflect the social systems, modes of production, and daily life of various eras and ethnic groups throughout history. In addition, fossilized remains of ancient vertebrates and ancient human fossils, which possess scientific value, are afforded legal protection on par with cultural relics.
Answer:
Important physical objects, works of art, documents, manuscripts, library materials, and representative artifacts from various periods throughout history.
Movable cultural relics are classified into precious relics and ordinary relics, with the former further divided into first‑class, second‑class, and third‑class relics.
Immovable cultural relics are classified into ancient cultural heritage, ancient tombs, ancient buildings, cave temples, stone carvings, murals, and important historical sites and representative buildings of the modern and contemporary periods. Question:
This includes national key cultural relics protection units, provincial-level cultural relics protection units, municipal- and county-level cultural relics protection units, as well as immovable cultural relics that have not yet been designated as protected sites. Immovable cultural relics protection units are organized into a three-tier system: national key cultural relics protection units, provincial-level cultural relics protection units, and municipal- and county-level cultural relics protection units. Question:
The State Council’s cultural relics administrative department, among provincial, municipal, and county-level protected cultural sites, shall designate those of significant historical, artistic, or scientific value as National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units, or directly designate them as such, and submit them to the State Council for approval and public announcement. Provincial-level cultural relics protection units shall be approved and announced by the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, and reported to the State Council for record. Municipal and county-level cultural relics protection units shall be approved and announced respectively by the people’s governments of cities with districts, autonomous prefectures, and counties, and reported to the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government for record. Immovable cultural relics that have not yet been designated and announced as cultural relics protection units shall be registered and publicly announced by the cultural relics administrative departments of the people’s governments at the county level.
First, delineate the necessary protection zones and construction control areas;
Second, provide clear labeling and instructions.
Third, establish records and archives;
Fourth, depending on the specific circumstances, establish dedicated institutions or assign specific personnel to assume responsibility for management.
Question:
It refers to an area where priority protection is implemented for the cultural relic site itself and its surrounding zone. Such areas are delineated appropriately based on the category, scale, and content of the cultural relic site, as well as the historical and current conditions of its surrounding environment, while maintaining a prescribed safety buffer beyond the site’s physical boundaries to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the cultural relic. Question:
Within the protection zone of a cultural relic protection site, activities that may jeopardize the safety of the relics are prohibited, as is the storage of flammable, explosive, or corrosive materials. No other construction projects, nor blasting, drilling, excavation, or similar operations, may be carried out within this zone. If, due to special circumstances, it becomes necessary to undertake other construction projects or engage in blasting, drilling, excavation, or similar activities within the protection zone, measures must be taken to ensure the safety of the cultural relic protection site, and the relevant approval procedures must be followed in accordance with the law. Question:
It refers to an area outside the protection zone of a cultural relic protection site, where construction projects are subject to restrictions in order to safeguard the site’s safety, environment, and historical character. Such areas are delineated appropriately based on the category, scale, and content of the cultural relic protection site, as well as the historical and current conditions of its surrounding environment. Question:
In accordance with the practical needs of cultural heritage protection and with the approval of the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, a designated construction control zone may be established around a cultural heritage site. Any construction project undertaken within such a control zone shall not impair the historical appearance of the cultural heritage site; moreover, the project design plan, depending on the level of the cultural heritage site, must be submitted to the urban–rural construction and planning authorities after obtaining approval from the competent cultural heritage administrative department.
The use of immovable cultural relics shall adhere to the principle of preserving their original state; the responsible party shall ensure the safety of the buildings and their associated cultural relics, and shall not damage, alter, add to, or demolish such relics. Within buildings designated as cultural relic protection sites, the use of open flames and any electrical usage unrelated to the preservation of cultural relics are prohibited. If the use of open flames or the installation of electrical equipment and facilities is absolutely necessary, fire‑safety measures must be formulated and submitted for approval to the local public security organ, which, prior to granting approval, shall seek the opinion of the competent cultural relics administration department of the people’s government at the same level.
When carrying out restoration, conservation, or relocation of immovable cultural relics, it is imperative to adhere to the principles of preserving the original condition of the relic and exercising minimal intervention, thereby maximizing the preservation of its historical information and historical value. Question:
The users of state‑owned cultural relic protection sites shall enter into a “Letter of Responsibility for the Protection and Use of Cultural Relic Protection Sites” with the competent cultural relics administrative department of the local people’s government at or above the county level, and shall be responsible for the maintenance, repair, and security of the cultural relics. They shall not engage in any acts that alter the structure or original condition of the cultural relics, such as damage, reconstruction, addition, demolition, or painting, and shall accept the guidance and supervision of the competent cultural relics administrative department of the local people’s government at or above the county level.
Whoever excavates, by theft, ancient cultural sites or tombs of historical, artistic, or scientific value shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no less than three years but no more than ten years, and fined; if the circumstances are relatively minor, such person shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance, and fined. If any of the following circumstances exists, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no less than ten years or life imprisonment, and fined or have property confiscated.
Whoever intentionally damages precious cultural relics under state protection, or cultural relics designated as national key cultural relic protection units or provincial-level cultural relic protection units, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no more than three years or criminal detention, and fined either concurrently or separately; in cases of serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no less than three years but no more than ten years, and fined.
Whoever intentionally damages nationally protected historical sites or scenic spots, where the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no more than five years or criminal detention, and shall also be fined or fined only.
Whoever negligently damages precious cultural relics under state protection, or cultural relics designated as national key cultural relic protection units or provincial-level cultural relic protection units, and thereby causes serious consequences, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no more than three years or criminal detention.
Whoever, with the intent of making a profit, traffics in cultural relics that are prohibited from being traded by the State, and where the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no more than five years or criminal detention, and fined; where the circumstances are particularly serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no less than five years but no more than ten years, and fined.
If a unit commits the crime specified in the preceding paragraph, the unit shall be imposed a fine, and the directly responsible principal personnel and other persons directly liable shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.
Where a crowd gathers to loot public or private property, and the amount involved is substantial or other serious circumstances exist, the ringleaders and those who actively participate shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance, together with a fine; if the amount involved is enormous or other particularly grave circumstances exist, they shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no less than three years but no more than ten years, together with a fine. With respect to the looting, private division, or unlawful appropriation of state‑owned cultural relics, the provisions of Article 268 of the Criminal Law shall apply by analogy.
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