Beijing Central Axis Successfully Inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, with the UNESCO Chair Deeply Involved in its Legal Protection
Date：2024/08/01 15:41:12
On July 27, 2024 (local time), at the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi, India, the "Beijing Central Axis - A Masterpiece of Chinese Ideal Metropolitan Order" was inscribed on the World Heritage List. The UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage Law was deeply involved in the legislation and promotion of the "Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage Protection Regulations," providing support for the inscription of the Beijing Central Axis on the World Heritage List.
The "Beijing Central Axis" runs through the old city of Beijing from north to south, originally constructed in the 13th century, formed in the 16th century, and has since evolved and developed into the longest urban axis in the world, stretching 7.8 kilometers today. The "Beijing Central Axis" is composed of five major categories of heritage, including ancient imperial palace architecture, ancient imperial sacrificial architecture, ancient urban management facilities, national ceremony and public buildings, and the remains of central roads. Its selection, layout, urban form, and design reflect the ideal capital paradigm recorded in the "Zhou Li · Kao Gong Ji," showcasing the ancient Chinese dynastic system and urban planning traditions, and witnessing the development and evolution of Beijing city.
The successful inscription of the Beijing Central Axis could not have been achieved without the guarantee of the rule of law. The "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage" and its "Operational Guidelines" explicitly require the implementation of effective protection management systems and measures for heritage sites listed on the World Heritage List; the National Cultural Heritage Administration's "World Cultural Heritage Nomination Work Procedures (Trial)" also consider the enactment and implementation of special regulations and rules for the protection of cultural heritage as a condition for reviewing candidate heritages. In 2018, Beijing initiated the preparation of the "Regulation on the Protection of Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage" (hereinafter referred to as the Regulation). The Institute of Cultural Heritage Law at Renmin University of China and the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage Law, as a team of legal experts, were commissioned by the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau to lead the legislative research and demonstration project of the Regulations, deeply involved in the compilation of the draft "Regulations" and other main stages of work, witnessing the process from the inception to the gradual formation of the Regulation. On May 25, 2022, the 39th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 15th Beijing Municipal People's Congress officially passed the Regulation, which were officially implemented on October 1, 2022. As a symbolic achievement of the Beijing Central Axis inscription work, the Regulation provide important legal protection for the protection and inheritance of the Beijing Central Axis cultural heritage.
After the adoption of the Regulations, the UNESCO Chair team actively carried out academic and social activities related to the inscription and protection of the Beijing Central Axis, popularizing legal knowledge on the inscription and protection of the Beijing Central Axis among the public, enhancing the accurate understanding and legal protection awareness of the heritage value of the entire society, encouraging thorough public participation, and gathering public strength to achieve cultural inheritance. On September 23, 2022, Professor Wang Yunxia, the holder of the UNESCO Chair, was invited to the "Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage Lecture Hall" to give a lecture titled "Legal Protection of the Inheritance and Development of the Central Axis Cultural Heritage." On September 29, 2022, Professor Wang Yunxia visited the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center's "Cultural Heritage Salon" to give a lecture titled "How to Ensure the Protection and Inheritance of the Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage through Legislation," and had a warm exchange and interaction with the host and the audience. On June 2, 2023, Professor Wang Yunxia went to the Dongcheng District People's Court of Beijing to give a lecture on "Legal Issues in the Protection of the Central Axis Cultural Heritage" for the court system. On September 23, 2023, Professor Wang Yunxia made a report titled "Beijing's Experience in Local Cultural Heritage Legislation Protection - Taking the 'Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage Protection Regulation' as an Example" at the "5th Local Legislation Theory and Practice Forum," and exchanged experiences with participating scholars on local cultural heritage protection legislation. The above activities were all broadcast live on various online media platforms, gaining widespread social influence.
Li Qun, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism and Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, stated at the World Heritage Conference that the successful inscription of the Beijing Central Axis is a new starting point. China will earnestly fulfill the World Heritage Convention, continue to make efforts in the protection and repair of cultural buildings, respond to the impact of natural disasters, encourage community residents to participate, scientifically guide tourism development, and improve the ability to interpret and display, to ensure that the Beijing Central Axis cultural heritage is properly protected and inherited. In the future, the UNESCO Chair will continue to promote the legalization of the protection and inheritance of the Beijing Central Axis cultural heritage in accordance with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention, give full play to the social benefits and public education role of the Beijing Central Axis cultural heritage, and help the broad participation of the public in the protection and inheritance of the Beijing Central Axis cultural heritage.
