State of Conservation (SOC)

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October 2005: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission. 

a) Urban development pressure;

b) Tourism pressure;

c) Lack of documentary evidence and clearly formulated principles to guide the conservation works. 

The World Heritage Committee during its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007), reiterated its request to the State Party to implement the recommendations made by the reactive monitoring mission of October 2005, and in particular to:

a) Develop appropriate Conservation Master Plans, in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and ICCROM, integrating components on risk-preparedness and tourism management, for the World Heritage properties of the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace in Beijing,

b) Carry out a comparative study on the restoration of polychromy and ways to ensure its authenticity within East Asia in collaboration with countries such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam;

On 30 January 2009, the State Party submitted the state of conservation report requested by the World Heritage Committee.

a) Conservation Master Plan

The report notes that Tsinghua University has completed a conservation plan for the World Heritage Temple of Heaven, and that Tianjin University prepared a Conservation Master Plan for the Summer Palace, both of which give emphasis to risk preparedness and tourism management. Both plans are being reviewed and will shortly be submitted to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. The report also notes that the authorities responsible for the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing have completed preparation of an Outline of the conservation plan on the World Heritage Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing, and that this has been forwarded to the World Heritage Centre for review by the World Heritage Committee.

b) Comparative study on the restoration of polychromy

The report also notes that from 29 October to 2 November 2008, an International Seminar on Conservation of Painted Surfaces on Wooden Structures in East Asia was organized by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China, the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS, ICCROM, Beijing Municipality, the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage and ICOMOS China. 50 participants from 11 countries participated, and prepared the Beijing Memorandum on the Conservation of Caihua in East Asia. The Chinese authorities have followed up this meeting by sending delegations to East Asia countries such as Viet Nam and Cambodia, to communicate lessons and experiences gained in the seminar.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies would note that the seminar mentioned above, contributes greatly, as requested by the World Heritage Committee at its 31st session, to strengthening “the theoretical framework on which are based conservation decisions, notably as regards issues of authenticity, for World Heritage properties”. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note the progress with the development of Conservation Master Plans for all three properties. These should be submitted in due course for review. In the framework of the forthcoming periodic reporting exercise for the Asia Pacific region, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies will provide assistance to the State Party to formulate Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for the three properties.