Decision 42 COM 7B.1

Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (China) (C 705)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 40 COM 7B.30, adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016),
3. Notes the redesign of the shoreline and the progess made on the finalization of the uplift process for the Yuzhen Palace, and requests the State Party to provide an update on the reinstallation efforts as they continue to be implemented;
4. Also requests that the State Party provide more information on the visitor management system in place, and in particular that specific studies be carried out at all component parts of the property to better understand carrying capacities, and to guide the preparation of a visitor management plan, so as to guarantee the necessary physical conservation of the property and its setting and also to ensure that visitor experience is not compromised by too many people visiting any one component at the same time;
5. Welcomes the adoption of the municipal legislation for the protection of the property and further requests that the protection and management plan for the property be completed and submitted as soon as possible to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
6. Requests furthermore the State Party to initiate a meeting with representatives of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to clarify the following issues and determine the necessary processes for their resolution:
   1. Final determination of the number of component parts of the property,
   2. Potential revision of the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (SOUV) for the property, depending on the final number of component parts,
   3. Revised buffer zone to ensure that it is large enough to protect the entire property and its setting;
7. Requests moreover, further to the outcomes of the above-mentioned meeting, that the State Party prepare and submit the appropriate documentation for review by the World Heritage Committee at its subsequent session, especially regarding the final number of component parts, the definition of the buffer zone, and the SOUV;
8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2019, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020.