Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Main issues:

Insufficient co-ordination of site management authorities and uncontrolled tourism development. Lack of a comprehensive management plan to ensure the conservation and sustainable development of the site.

New information:

A WHC staff member undertook an official visit to the property in November 2001. The mission noted that this World Heritage property consists of two parts, which are not contiguous.

The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is a mound separated into two parts by a main road. The southern part of the Mausoleum mound has now been encroached upon by illegal construction of outdoor souvenir stands. The northern part contains a factory complex, private housing and plantations, all of which are within the protective buffer zone of the site.

New excavations in and immediately surrounding the Mausoleum have proven the existence of rich archaeological assets in both the protective core and buffer zones. The mission recommended that steps be taken to expand the boundaries of the World Heritage site and consider the relocation of the intrusive and illegal encroachment.

Enhancement of the site interpretation was also noted.  The Terra Cotta Warriors Museum Complex does not have clearly defined protective core and buffer zones. Recently, permission was granted for the construction of a new souvenir supermarket immediately outside the museum complex. The mission commended the high standard of conservation measures and efforts made to enhance site interpretation of the property.

However, the mission was informed that major site development and management decisions are taken without full consultation with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, resulting with tourism development given priority to conservation needs. At the time of inscription on the World Heritage List in 1987, ICOMOS expressed serious concerns regarding the plans for constructing museums on site. ICOMOS, concluding that measures taken to protect the site were insufficient, recommended that a larger buffer zone be established.

The Bureau encourages the Chinese authorities to:

• Establish a comprehensive site management authority supported by both conservation and site development authorities. In particular, the Chinese authorities may wish to explore further the mobilization of the rich experience and human resources of the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau to ensure that conservation needs are appropriately addressed while developing the site;

• Elaborate a comprehensive management plan for this property, taking into due consideration existing management plans, regulations, heritage protection and preservation needs;

• Expand the protective buffer zones of the Mausoleum taking into account the most recent archaeological discoveries; consider the relocation of intrusive elements outside the extended World Heritage protective zones;

• Define the World Heritage protective core zone of the Terra Cotta Museum complex to include the three pits. Identify the rest of the museum complex and its surrounding area as the protective buffer zone with restrictions on new constructions.

The Bureau requests the World Heritage Centre to assist the Chinese authorities in the elaboration of a long-term comprehensive management plan for the property. The Bureau further requests that a progress report on measures taken to enhance the conservation and development of the property be submitted for examination by the Committee at its 27^th session within the framework of the Periodic Reporting Exercise for the Asia-Pacific Region.”