Jingdezhen's porcelain heritage recognition a lesson in shared protection

What does it mean for a country to be among the ones with the most World Heritage sites in the world?

For China, that question carried added weight on July 25, when the Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites became the country's 61st UNESCO site.

Held from July 19 to 29, the 48th session of the UNESCO panel added 25 new sites to the World Heritage List, including the first-ever inscriptions for three African countries — Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, and South Sudan. The committee also granted emergency protection to three newly inscribed World Heritage sites and added three previously recognized sites to the danger list.

Among them, Jingdezhen stood out not only as China's sole nomination for 2026 but also as the first site explicitly themed around porcelain, and China's first-ever "industrial heritage" nomination.

Located in East China's Jiangxi province, the Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Sites comprise five component areas that trace the evolution of handicraft porcelain production from the 10th to the 19th centuries in the city now often known as the "porcelain capital" of China.

But beyond the numbers, what struck me most was the shared commitment among nations to protect heritage as a legacy for all humanity, and how China's role in that effort was perceived by those I spoke with.

"China is bringing a lot to the World Heritage List," said Alessandro Balsamo, head of the Nominations Unit at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "And of course, this is not just an honor to be on top of this list, but it represents also a big responsibility."

"It is very important for all the countries to share their experience on their sites," said Aseela Almoalla Alhashmi, director-general of the Fujairah Environment Authority and a member of the United Arab Emirates delegation.

During the session, the UAE successfully had Wadi Wurayah, a national park in Fujairah that hosts 1,099 species, inscribed as its first UNESCO-listed natural heritage site.

When I asked about China's growing role in international heritage cooperation, Alhashmi mentioned that she had also participated in the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in Hangzhou in 2025 and said she believes the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China is important for the world and future generations.

For smaller nations with limited resources, this cooperation is even more practical.

Sandra Mascarenhas, scientific coordinator of the Tarrafal Concentration Camp at the Cultural Heritage Institute of Cabo Verde, told me that her country, which has only one World Heritage Site, depends on international cooperation with partners such as China to secure financial support and capacity building.

"Last year, we were in Guangzhou, (where) there was a symposium about cooperation between Africa, China and UNESCO," said Mascarenhas. "It was very good because it helped us reformulate our nomination and helped us achieve some monetary funds."

During the latest event in Busan, South Korea, there was also a series of side events co-organized by governments, institutions and companies from China, sharing China's experience in nominations, the adoption of technology in heritage protection, and the country's call to advance international cooperation in the sector.

Every one of those events saw the rooms filled to capacity and some were so packed that latecomers had to stand along the walls. Many participants stayed on after the session to exchange ideas with Chinese organizers. It was a clear sign of the international community's interest in China's heritage experience.

As Balsamo, the UNESCO official, told me during the interview, the honor of being among the top on the World Heritage List comes with a big responsibility to show the way for other countries and to become partners in multilateral cooperation.

In Busan, I saw that responsibility being acknowledged with more than just words. At a time when heritage is facing unprecedented challenges from climate change and geopolitical conflicts, that partnership feels all the more valuable in protecting the shared legacy of all humanity.

The writer is a reporter with China Daily Asia Pacific in Hong Kong.

Contact the writer at kelly@chinadailyapac.com