Concerns about over-development of heritage sites

The three most representative Tusi sites, the remains of an ancient political system adopted by Chinese emperors to govern the ethnic minority regions in south-central and southwest China, were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Saturday. Comments:

The World Heritage list aims to preserve historical memories, traditions and culture. As the World Heritage Committee said, the Tusi system aimed at unifying the national administration while simultaneously allowing ethnic minorities to retain their own customs and way of life. The combination of local ethnic and central Chinese features at the sites exhibits an interchange of values and testifies to imperial Chinese administrative methods. The motivation for applying for World Heritage status should be for protection rather than taking advantage of it. They can hardly be recovered once destroyed. It is our obligation and responsibility to protect ancient relics.

Xinhua Daily Telegraph, July 6