Events

The Book "Cultural Heritage Law: China and the World" was Published

Date：2024/05/20 15:32:57

Recently, the book "Cultural Heritage Law: China and the World," compiled under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage Law at Renmin University of China, has been published by The Commercial Press. This book is an important outcome of the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage Law project at Renmin University of China, and it has been co-authored by the chair team in collaboration with renowned experts and scholars in the field of cultural heritage law from China and abroad.

Brief description of content:

Cultural heritage is not only the historical witness of a particular nation and country, but also an important resource for the sustainable development of society and an organic part of human civilization. The protection of cultural heritage involves a variety of social relations and multiple interests in the trade-offs and games, and inevitably there are contradictions and conflicts. Therefore, countries have adopted legislation to regulate the protection and management of their important cultural heritage, and the international community has also paid great attention to the protection of cultural heritage. International organizations represented by UNESCO have issued many important international conventions and other legal documents in the field of cultural heritage protection, establishing an international legal framework for cultural heritage protection.

China, with its long history and rich cultural heritage resources, is an important member of UNESCO. As a responsible big country, China has actively supported UNESCO's work in the field of cultural heritage protection, acceded to most of the international conventions on cultural heritage it has introduced and advocated, actively assumed the responsibility of protecting the common cultural heritage of all mankind, and established a legal system for cultural heritage, with the Protection of Cultural Relics and Intangible Cultural Heritage Laws at its core. Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the construction of the rule of law in culture and the protection of cultural heritage, and has promoted the continuous improvement of the legal system related to cultural heritage, successively initiated the comprehensive revision of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics and the Law on Intangible Cultural Heritage, and included the formulation of the Law on the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage in the legislative program, so as to provide legal safeguards for the establishment of a system for the protection and transmission of historical and cultural heritage that embodies Chinese characteristics and is in line with international development. It will also include the enactment of the Law on the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage in the legislative program, to provide legal guarantee for the establishment of a historical and cultural heritage protection and transmission system that reflects Chinese characteristics and responds to international development.

The book systematically combs through the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the 1995 Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, and the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, all of which are issued or promoted by UNESCO. On the basis of the history of the formation and development of major cultural conventions such as the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and taking the different issues covered by the conventions as a clue, we will conduct a comparative study on the specific institutional measures for the implementation of the conventions in China and other countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France, Italy, Germany, Australia and Poland. The study seeks to provide useful reference for the correct understanding of the spirit of the above conventions, the continuous improvement of the implementation mechanism of the relevant domestic laws, and the better protection of China's rights and interests under the framework of international conventions.

The Chair team has selected a number of countries with different forms of national organization, legal systems and cultural backgrounds, each with its own characteristics in the implementation of international conventions on cultural heritage, as samples for the comparative study. As far as possible, the Chair team has invited renowned experts of the countries concerned to write the relevant contents, so as to ensure the objectivity, accuracy and comprehensiveness of the relevant study. The contents written by foreign experts are translated and proofread by Chinese scholars in the team who have studied in that country, have a good language foundation, and have a better understanding of that country's cultural heritage legal system, and the translator's notes are added to some difficult or ambiguous terms to facilitate readers' reading and understanding.

(This part is from the “Preface” of the book.)

 

Author Team:

The author team of the book includes experts and scholars engaged in cultural heritage law from Renmin University of China, Minzu University of China, China University of Political Science and Law, East China University of Political Science and Law, Xiamen University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, University of Technology Sydney, University of Kent, University of Toulouse I, University of Opole and University of Verona.

Author Biographies (in the order of chapters written):

Wang Yunxia, Professor at the Law School of Renmin University of China, Distinguished Professor at the Law School of Minzu University of China, and Holder of the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage Law. Research interests: Cultural Heritage Law, Foreign Legal History.

Hu Shanchen, Lecturer at the Law School of Minzu University of China, Doctor of Law from Renmin University of China, and a member of the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage Law team. Research interests: Cultural Heritage Law, Comparative Law, Human Rights Law.

Zhong Hui, Associate Professor at the Law School and South China Sea Institute of Xiamen University. Research interests: International Law, Maritime Law, Cultural Heritage Law.

Gao Sheng, Professor at the School of Literature, Law and Economics of Shandong University of Science and Technology. Research interests: International Private Law, International Civil and Commercial Dispute Resolution, Cultural Heritage Law.

Liu Lina, Associate Professor at the Law School of Xi'an Jiaotong University. Research interests: Cultural Heritage Law, Intellectual Property Law, International Law.

Li Yuan, Jointly trained Ph.D. student at Renmin University of China and DePaul University in the United States. Research interest: Cultural Heritage Law.

Guo Ping, Scholar in Germany, Doctor of Law from Renmin University of China, Postdoctoral researcher at Beijing University of Technology. Research interest: Cultural Heritage Law.

Huo Zhengxin, Professor at the School of International Law of China University of Political Science and Law, Qian Duansheng Chair Professor. Research interests: International Law, Cultural Heritage Law.

Chen Ruida, Doctoral candidate at the School of International Law of China University of Political Science and Law.

Li Weifang, Professor at the School of International Law of East China University of Political Science and Law. Research interests: International Public Law, International Environmental Law, Cultural Heritage Law.

Tian Yan, Professor at the Law School of Minzu University of China. Research interests: Human Rights Law, Ethnic Law, Cultural Heritage Law.

Liu Di, Doctoral candidate at the Law School of University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Sophie Vigneron, Reader at the School of Law, University of Kent, UK. Research interests: Art and Cultural Heritage Law.

Zeba Farah Haque, Teaching Program Administrator at the University of Kent, Master's in International Environmental Law and Human Rights Law. Research interests: International Public Law, European Law, Cultural Heritage Law.

Clémentine Bories, Professor at Toulouse 1 University, France. Research interests: International Public Law, European Law, Cultural Heritage Law.

Florent Garnier, Professor at Toulouse 1 University, France. Research interests: Cultural Heritage Law, Roman Law.

Sabrina Ferrazzi, Postdoctoral researcher in Comparative Private Law at the School of Law, University of Verona, Italy. Research interest: Cultural Heritage Law.

Alicja Jagielska-Burduk, Doctor of Law, Holder of the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Property Law. Research interests: Art and Cultural Heritage Law.

Piotr Stec, Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Opole, Poland. Research interests: Administrative Law, Cultural Heritage Law.

Ana Filipa Vrdoljak, Professor at the School of Law, University of Technology Sydney, Australia, Holder of the UNESCO Chair on International Law and Cultural Heritage. Research interests: International Law, Cultural Heritage Law.

 

Table of Contents:

Introduction: The International Legal Framework for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (Wang Yunxia, Hu Shanchen)

Part One: The Development and Evolution of International Conventions on Cultural Heritage

International Law Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict (Zhong Hui)

International Law Rules on Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property and Its Restitution (Gao Sheng)

The Emergence and Development of the World Heritage System (Hu Shanchen)

International Law Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (Liu Lina)

International Law Protection of Cultural Diversity and Intangible Cultural Heritage (Hu Shanchen)

Part Two: National Practices in Implementing UNESCO Cultural Heritage Conventions

The Practice of the United Kingdom in Implementing the Six UNESCO Cultural Heritage Conventions (Sophie Vigneron, Zeba Farah Haque)

Cultural Heritage Law of the USA and UNESCO Conventions (Li Yuan)

France and UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Conventions (Clémentine Bories, Florent Garnier)

Italy's Response to UNESCO Cultural Heritage Conventions through Its Cultural Heritage Law (Sabrina Ferrazzi)

Implementation of UNESCO Cultural Heritage Conventions in Germany (Guo Ping)

Implementation of UNESCO Cultural Heritage Conventions in Poland's Cultural Heritage Law (Alicja Jagielska-Burduk, Piotr Stec)

Implementation of UNESCO Cultural Heritage Conventions in Australian Cultural Heritage Law (Ana Filipa Vrdoljak)

Part Three: The Implementation and Impact of International Cultural Heritage Conventions in China

The Basic Framework of Chinese Cultural Heritage Law (Wang Yunxia, Guo Ping)

Chinese Practice in the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Times of Armed Conflict (Huo Zhengxin, Chen Ruida)

Implementation of International Conventions Against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property in China: Achievements and Challenges (Wang Yunxia)

Legal Construction and Practice in the Protection of World Cultural Heritage in China (Li Weifang, Hu Shanchen)

Chinese Practice in the Protection of Cultural Diversity and Intangible Cultural Heritage (Tian Yan, Liu Di)

The Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage Convention and China's Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage (Liu Lina)