China Is Challenged on Bid for Unesco Heritage Status in Tibetan Area
KAZAKHSTAN MONGOLIA KYRGYZSTAN CHINA TAJIKISTAN PAKISTAN Hoh Xil Region QINGHAI PROVINCE TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION TIBETAN PLATEAU INDIA
NEPAL BHUTAN 500 Miles KAZAKHSTAN MONGOLIA CHINA Hoh Xil Region QINGHAI TIBET TIBETAN PLATEAU INDIA 500 Miles JULY 6, 2017
China’s government has actively sought Unesco’s designations for various sites since its first application 30 years ago.
The letter said that China would "fully respect the will of local herders and their traditional culture, religious beliefs and lifestyle." The organization’s opposition puts it at odds not only with the Chinese government,
but also with environmentalists and others who say the designation would protect the antelope habitat.
Jin Yuanpu, director of the Cultural Industries Institute at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said
that China’s embrace of Unesco’s heritage designations reflected a new attention to cultural preservation after the repressions of the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong.
By STEVEN LEE MYERSJULY 6, 2017
BEIJING — An international advocacy organization is challenging China’s effort to secure special recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for a vast, traditionally Tibetan region, arguing
that the designation would disrupt the lives of nomads who have roamed its fragile lands.
China now has 50 natural or cultural heritage sites, which are defined as having "outstanding universal value." While Unesco has no enforcement powers over the
places it recognizes, the organization can withdraw designations, which are considered important for promoting tourism and, in some cases, political aims.
Matteo Mecacci said that This controversial nomination would signify Unesco endorsement of China’s
forced relocation of Tibetan nomads, who have protected the grasslands and wildlife for centuries,
